Arc De Triomphe
by Sabaku no Kyuubi
Summary: Fic Trade w/Kraven Ergeist. When you want to be a Hero, it takes more than just determination and a few false papers to a good school. It also takes the help of your friends and those that love you, even if they don't immediately know about the help they're giving... or how good it feels to help. Overpowered/OOC Jaune. Jaune/Harem.
1. Night of Fire

A/N: Are you all surprised to see me alive and well? Don't be. I am alive in the barest sense of the term. To that I say, "Be glad I can't do even half of the things I can do in my head. If I could do even that much, I would have turned half the world to ash by this point. That said, I have eaten the Rumble Rumble Fruit since last we met. To those of you who know what that means... don't mess with me.

Now then, this little gem is the start of a Fic Trade between myself and my God Brother, Kraven Ergeist. We agreed to it back in 2011, and I am quite a bit late in getting into gear with it. The series I originally agreed to had long lost my attention, so my brother was kind enough to amend the terms and allow me to pick a new series. RWBY was a no-brainer. **ATTENTION - This is meant to be a Lemon Fic Trade. That said, there will be a Lemon in each chapter. The Lemon versions of all these chapters can be found in my DeviantArt Gallery. My name on DA is PanteraIchigo( panteraichigo deviantart com (forward slash) gallery/ *Be sure to remove any spaces and place actual dots/symbols when you copy and paste to get you there, if you want to read these versions.*)**

To my PMers and those looking for other updates, I will not give estimates. I honestly can't, and I hate to disappoint, so all I can say is I'm Sorry. Please don't think less of me, is all I ask. That, and you enjoy.

To my Hollows/helpers, sorry I keep disappearing on you. No epic plot like we have planned for Ichigo and co for this one (at least not for this chapter), but I do hope you guys enjoy it just the same.

And finally, to my brother Kraven... you owe me lunch, brother of mine. XD I've said my piece. Onward!

Disclaimer - RWBY belongs to Monty Oum (may the man forever dance on in our hearts and in heaven high) and Rooster Teeth. I'm just here to play.

Arc De Triomphe

Chapter 1 – Night of Fire

A RWBY Fanfic

* * *

For her, so far, Beacon was as awesome as she had thought that it was going to be. The initiation test and team placements alone were even more awesome than she had been expecting. Okay, so the headmaster was a little…odd, but still, two days in and she was already loving it here.

Now if only she could help her little sister be a little less awkward around people. There was a challenge. Then again, she'd been awkward once too, and she still had those moments from time to time. Yang knew that she had her work cut out for her in that regard. Yes, Ruby was an excellent fighter, and she didn't doubt her sister would be an excellent leader to their team, but she really needed to get over that pesky social awkwardness.

Yang sighed as she washed the shampoo from her hair, carefully combing soap from soft blonde tresses. She was especially gentle when she found any small knots, undoing when she could and only breaking strands where necessary. She hated having to do that. The only thing she loved even a fraction of the amount that she loved her sister was her hair. For her, damaging it was like damaging a piece of her soul. Taking care of it while leaving it this long was a pain, but it was worth it. Even as she wrapped it in the longest towel she could, she knew it was worth it. Wrapping herself in a towel just as tightly as her hair, she stepped from the locker room showers, eyes coming to meet the lean, nicely sculpted back of a young man with a towel over his head, another around his waist as he dried his own hair.

Yang could not help the little smirk that made its way to her lips. That was another thing that she was starting to like about Beacon. She had thought that the little sleepover they'd had the previous night with the boys was going to be a one-time thing. Apparently Beacon was very different from Signal in regards to how the genders were to interact. Before, the genders were always separated. Here though, everything seemed to be unisex, dorms and locker rooms included. Again, she had thought the bit with the locker rooms was just a one-time thing. It was only after teams were formed that she realized the assignments were permanent. It was further given credence when she realized that team JNPR was to be their dorm neighbors, and that all four of them were going to be living in the room.

Being a Huntsman or a Huntress wasn't just a matter of being able to fight. It was also a matter of being able to work with your partners, and other teams, in any situation. Situations that would be considered compromising, as well as embarrassing, could come up at any time. For partners who were the opposite genders, living together was one of the best ways for them to get over any scruples they may have about the opposite sex. As for teams with opposite genders, a unisex locker room and shower facility would be the best in that regard.

However, Yang had never had any misgivings about boys. It wasn't like she hadn't had a few dates before. Staring at the back of the young man before her now, she had to say that he was a pretty decent specimen. Usually, aspiring Hunters were built a little bigger, with more muscle meant for heavy combat, like that Cardin Winchester. This one was built leaner and a small bit thinner, but there was a decent bit of definition to the musculature of his arms and back. Kind of reminded her of a swimmer. She allowed a small smirk to find her lips again. That was just fine. She didn't really go for those overgrown muscle types anyway. They tended to be rather full of themselves. Maybe this one would be a bit more humble.

If that was the case, then maybe he could be a good "friend."

The small smirk turned to a sultry one, and lilac eyes took on a mischievous gleam. Stepping up to the boy, she reached out with the hand not holding her towel and touched him at just the base of his neck. The boy in front of her twitched and froze in the drying of his hair. Yang's sultry smirk turned into a grin when she trailed a finger down his spine and gooseflesh developed as it passed between his shoulder blades.

"Hey there Hot Stuff." She added a second finger to the first, the hand trailing back up the boy's spine. "Wish I'd have known there was someone as nicely trimmed as you in the initiation test. I'd have come looking for you sooner. We could have had some good fun as partners." She leaned in and blew a puff of air on the back of his neck. More gooseflesh erupted. "Then again, we could still be partners… You doing anything later?"

The boy stayed still for a minute before he let out a rather high pitched, nervous sounding laugh. "I…um… I didn't really think that I was your type, Yang."

Yang actually blinked at that. She knew that voice. And now that she really took a look, she noticed small wisps of yellow hair peeking out of the edges of the towel he was using. It was also now that she actually noticed the open locker in front of him. With the pieces of white chest and shoulder armor…and the blue handled sword with its familiar white sheath. The cogs in her brain turned rather swiftly then.

"Jaune?"

Taking the towel from his head, Jaune Arc couldn't help letting out another nervous laugh, turning to face Yang, smoothing messy blond hair back over his head and giving it a little scratch. "Um… yeah. Hey Yang." He had a small grin on and both eyes were closed. Opening his eyes, he actually took a look at the state of her dress. The towel just barely covered all that was needed. He averted his eyes, a light blush painting his cheeks. "Well…this is awkward." He wasn't kidding. He knew that he hadn't really made a great first impression on Yang. Despite being the leader of his team now, which still had him wondering just what the hell Ozpin had been thinking, the moniker of Vomit Boy was going to be pretty hard to get rid of. That she'd actually made any type of move towards him, even mistakenly, was really odd for him. And she just kept staring at him.

Did Yang think that it was all that awkward though? Not really. If anything, she was rather pleasantly surprised. She brought her free hand to her chin, giving his front a once over this time. Just like his back, he was decently defined, despite his somewhat scrawny frame. Give him a little more training and that frame would bulk up just fine. Add that to the fact that he was decently tall, and he might be able to catch a few more eyes than he did now, and for better reasons too.

"Um…Yang?" He actually managed to break her out of his musing and make her actually focus on his face. Lilac met ocean blue. "No offense, but uh…would you mind not staring so closely?" He diverted his gaze away from her own. "And maybe put on some clothes…?"

Once again, Yang found herself blinking at his words. Right before she let out a small snort and started to giggle at his expense. If she didn't know better, she would have said that he was embarrassed to be seeing her in a towel. "Aww, what's the matter, Lady Killer? What happened to all of that confidence that you had this morning with Weiss and Pyrrha?"

Jaune flushed and averted his eyes once again before bringing them back to her, scratching the back of his head. "Uh, well…"

"Hmm?" She allowed herself a small smirk, and leaned forward a bit. The arm holding her towel in place pressed up against her chest, magnifying her bust just a bit. He must have had incredible peripheral vision, because his flush took over his face and he diverted his eyes again. Her smirk turned to a devious grin that did the same. "See something you like, lover boy?"

Jaune swallowed, keeping his eye averted, believing discretion would be the better part of valor in this case. "I, ah…I'm sorry." Yang's response was to smile and flick him across the forehead. "Ow! Yang, what the hell?"

"Jaune, relax." She walked past him to her own locker. Surprisingly enough, it was only a few away from his own. "If I kicked the ass of every guy that stared at my tits, there wouldn't be enough hospital beds in Vale for all of them." She grinned at him again. "If you pulled out any of my hair though, then I couldn't guarantee against a few third degree burns or bullet wounds."

"Uh…Thanks for the warning, I guess."

It was silence between them after that. They each dressed quietly, Jaune careful to keep from looking in the direction of Yang's locker. Yang was not as hesitant to look in his direction though. Tossing off the towel to put on her panties and slip on her yellow top, her eyes kept glancing in his direction. While he was careful to keep his eyes focused elsewhere, he must not have been thinking of what he was doing with his towel. She did have to admit…he had a cute ass.

That little dimple on the left cheek only added to it.

She was a little surprised when he pulled on a pair of boxers. After seeing him in the onesie footy pajamas, she kind of expected him to be the tighty-whitey type. She was oddly disappointed when she didn't manage to get a peak upfront though. The body was decent, the ass was nice; she kind of wanted to see if the equipment measured up. She was also surprised when he didn't once try to hit on her, or even once try to take a peek at her. She smirked. Either he was more of a gentleman than he let on, or he was just that awkward. Maybe she should check again…?

Walking up behind him, Yang blew a few small puffs of air on the back of his neck and ears. She almost laughed when he stiffened up again, turning to face her. That rosy flush was still in place on his cheeks. "Yang, what are you doing?"

"Didn't I just tell you to relax, Jaune? I was just playing with you a bit." She leaned back and crossed her arms again, looking at him like she was expecting something. He had averted his eyes again, and then brought them back to her once again, only to have the flush fire up his face and avert them again as Yang's crossed arms pushed up on her bosom, making her breasts stand out and appear larger. Yang actually raised an eyebrow at that. "Wow. I can honestly say that you've surprised me Jaune." That brought his eyes back to her.

"W-What do you mean?"

"Well, I thought that it was just your pickup lines that were bad. I mean, Snow Angel was pretty cheesy…" Jaune visibly slumped and sighed at that one. "But you're just not good around pretty girls, are you? Sure, the confidence helps a bit, but when push comes to shove, you're pretty hopeless with women."

"That…" Jaune's eyes were pointing another direction again. "That's not true…"

"Jaune." His eyes were back to her again, deadpan expression on her face. "Do I have to flash you to prove a point? I can guarantee if I do, then you'll fall like a shaky house of cards."

Both Yang and Jaune were pretty sure that he would be seen from the moon if he were outside right now, he was that flushed. Of course he knew that she had a point. Granted, if she flashed anyone, he was pretty sure that he wouldn't be the only guy who would crumple. The silence stretched between them for several moments, and only came to an end when Yang reached for the edge of her top.

"All right, all right, it's true!" Jaune caved pretty quickly. No need to embarrass himself further he supposed. "I mean, I'm good with girls that I'm friends with, but even then I get kind of…choked up around them from time to time. If a girl shows interest in me, then awesome, I'm all over it, but I still manage to screw that up." He scratched the back of his head again. "And it's not just girls. It's people in general. I can talk to anyone no problem, but actually getting to know them can be…difficult."

"You and my sister have been getting along fine."

"What can I say? It's easy to talk to Ruby. We're both basically in the same boat; new place, no friends to speak of." He let out a sigh. "She seemed like she could use one."

"Well, you were right." The cogs starting turning full speed in Yang's head. Jaune was good at meeting new people. Sure, he was a little awkward around them at first, but he got along with them swimmingly after a short while. Despite what he thought, he wasn't nearly as awkward as he made himself out to be. He had some confidence, as evidenced by his display with Weiss and Pyrrha, but it only took him so far. He just needed a little help in a couple of areas and he would be good.

Ruby needed a lot of help when it came to meeting new people though. She had friends in her class at Signal, but she never let herself branch out beyond those friends. Meeting people was an awkward experience for her, and getting to know them through small talk only seemed to make it worse for her. She always drew back into her shell. Yes, Weiss and Jaune were a good first start, but she was going to need a bit more help than that. Yang allowed herself to grin. Perhaps she could help both Jaune and Ruby out at the same time.

"Jaune?" She had his attention again. "Did you have any plans for tonight?"

"Uh…no?" For some reason, he really did not like that smile.

"Good. You finish getting dressed and let me put on my skirt." The grin seemed to widen even as her eyes closed. "You're going out with me tonight."

* * *

This…was really something that he should have expected when Yang said they would be going out. And it was something that he was entirely not prepared for.

For one, he was pretty sure that jeans and a hoodie weren't appropriate clubbing attire.

"Yang, are you sure about this?" He glanced over at his partner for the evening. She was all smiles and sunshine latched onto his arm. "I mean, won't we get in trouble for leaving the school grounds?"

"Oh Jaune, stop being such a stick in the mud. I checked the school rules, and there wasn't anything in them saying that students couldn't leave the grounds to visit the city." She pulled a little tighter on his arm, pretty much dragging him towards the club entrance. "Now come on, let's go have some fun!" She even bypassed the line out front, much to the chagrin of everyone in that line, and the bouncers opened the door for her without so much as a glance. Even Jaune could figure she was either a regular here, or she could cause enough of a ruckus that they knew better than to mess with her.

He had the distinct, nervous feeling that it was actually both.

"Now wait a minute Yang!" He was relieved when she actually stopped, sending a questioning look his way. They were still in the hallway leading in, not yet in the club proper. "I've never been in a place like this before! I-I have no idea what I'm even supposed to do here!"

Yang's response was to smile again, and pat him on the cheek. "Now now Jaune, I already said we were going to have some fun, and that's what you do in a place like this, silly boy." She smirked. "And maybe get a little tipsy."

"T-Tipsy?! Like drinking tipsy? We're not old enough to drink!"

"Oh lighten up Jaune. We're only a little ways off anyway, and as long as you act your age and not your shoe size, nobody will say anything otherwise." That smirk grew a bit bigger. "Although I suppose that might be difficult for you, since you still wear footy pajamas."

"Hey now, don't insult the footy pajamas!" He blushed a little at his volume. "They happen to very comfortable, I'll have you know."

"Aww, poor baby." She couldn't help the grin as she said it. "Look Jaune, you need to get outside your comfort zone a little bit. Yes, girls like confidence, but yours needs some work." He visibly deflated at that. "Oh don't go getting depressed on me now. It needs some work, not a complete overhaul. A situation like this is one of the best ways to go about it, and since classes don't start until the day after tomorrow, we can take our time and enjoy ourselves tonight." She grinned again and held out a hand. "Now come on, Lady Killer. Let this fiery little guide show you a whole new world."

Jaune hesitated for a few seconds, nervously scratching at his blond hair with the remnants of a light flush on his cheeks, before taking that hand and giving a small smile. He let out a nervous sigh and nodded. "Okay." As soon as he said it, they were off again, once again being pulled along to the door at the end of the hall. The door opened automatically, and immediately both of their senses were hit with light, sounds, and the smells of the club.

He blinked his eyes a few times to get them used to the neon and flashing strobe lights. A cacophony of scents reached his nostrils; men's cologne and women's perfume, fruity wines and cocktails, smoke and alcohol. Music blared over the crowd, both on the dance floor and their low-lit tables. Even as he took in all of the sights, and as Yang dragged him in the direction of the bar, he managed to catch a line of the song playing overhead.

" _Last night, I had a dream about you… In this dream, I'm dancing right beside you… It looked like everyone was having fun… That kind of feeling, I waited so long…"_

Even though it felt like Yang was trying to pull his arm from his socket, Jaune still found his head bobbing along with the beat of the song. He'd always like this one when he heard it. His musing was disturbed when he realized that he didn't feel any more pressure on his arm, and that a bar stool was being slid under his butt. Yang was leaning on the bar, smiling at the… behemoth of a man behind it.

Behemoth may have been an understatement. This guy was at least a head taller than Jaune, and almost twice as wide, all muscle. Jaune was pretty sure that if he flexed, the collared, black uniform shirt he had on would be shredded. The crew cut brown hair and the two day stubble did not make him look any less tough. Jaune could not help but swallow as the man gazed at the both of them with a quirked brow. Yang was not the least bit discouraged though, since the grin had yet to leave her face.

"Hey John! Can I get two of my usual for me and my friend here?" The big guy did not move immediately. Only then did Yang's smile slip into a look of confusion. "Something wrong, big guy?"

Two huge arms were crossed before 'John' spoke. "Forgive me for being a little reserved in serving you, Miss Xiao Long, but my boss has been feeling a fair bit of concern about letting you in again." Jaune swallowed again as he was given a cursory glance by this bear of a man. "Good customer or not, considering what we heard had happened to Junior's place when you went to visit, he wanted a guarantee that the same wouldn't happen here."

Yang immediately brightened again, even as Jaune glanced at her. Just what exactly had she done? "Now John, you know how I feel about you calling me by my last name. After all, I know you hate it when someone calls you Mr. Umber. Or maybe I should use your nickname, "Little" John?" she said, making the muscly behemoth twitch a bit. "Anyway, we both know that Junior Xiong got what he had coming to him. Anything that I did was simply in retaliation to something that he did to me, or planned to do.

"You destroyed his club." Jaune's eyes widened and swiveled back to Yang. She'd done WHAT?

"And he sicked his goons and the Malachite Twins on me, and then tried to off me with a bazooka. I only defended myself." John simply looked at her for another minute before she sighed. "Look John, if it'll make Robin feel reassured, then I promise that as long as you guys don't set your little band of merry men on me, and nobody tries to pick a fight with me, your club is safe."

John nodded once and turn an eye to Jaune. "And what about him?"

The blonde boy had the 'deer in the headlights' thing going on. "Um, me? I-um…"

"He's harmless, but I'll be sure to keep an eye on him."

John nodded lightly, giving a small smile. "Good enough for me." He set two full, tall glasses in front of them, having been preparing them while they spoke. "On behalf of the boss and the rest of the staff, welcome back to The Hood, Yang." He gave a little smirk as he walked off to help another customer. "Do try to keep your nose clean, little missy."

"Yeah yeah, I got it." She waived a dismissive hand as he walked off, taking a sip of her drink. Jaune could still not help but openly stare at her. It took her a few seconds to actually notice before she raised a brow to him. "What?"

Jaune just stared stupidly for another moment or two before speaking. "I'm sorry, but I must have had something crazy in my ear. I could have sworn that he said you destroyed a night club." He laughed nervously despite the sarcasm in his tone. He shook his head a bit. "I mean, it can't be anything but crazy. You destroying a night club…"

"I know, right?" Yang laughed, taking another sip of her drink. "It was crazy, but I had a lot of fun doing it." She cracked another grin. "The owner was a jackass anyway. He had it coming."

Jaune could only be referred to as slack-jawed. "Y-you actually destroyed a night club?" At her nod, that slack hit the floor. "H-h-how?!"

"Well, it's not like I really had a choice. They did attack me." Only because she provoked them, but hey, they still did it.

"No, I mean literally, how did you do it?!" Jaune exclaimed, freaking out. "You're a student! Where did you get the dust to do something like that?!"

Yang stared at him for a moment, and then just started to laugh. "Dust? Jaune, please. The only dust I had when this happened was in the shells for my Ember Celica." That smirk came back again. "You have to remember I'm not just a student, Jaune. I'm a Huntress in-training; if I couldn't do something like that with just my bare hands and weapons, then I don't think I would be cut out for the job."

Jaune was once again struck silent, staring stupidly. She'd done it…with her bare hands? He didn't know why he was so shocked. In fact, he didn't know why he was shocked at all. He'd seen Nora drive a six foot spike into a Death Stinger's head. He'd seen Ruby all but fly and then decapitate a massive Nevermore. That Yang could toss around some goons and destroy a night club with her bare hands shouldn't really register. It did though, and he knew why.

It registered because he knew that he couldn't do something like that if he tried. He was nowhere near any of their levels yet, and he knew he had a long way to go to get there. Taking his eyes from Yang, he put his head in his hands and ran them through his hair. Maybe this night out was needed after all, if only to get rid of his worries for a night.

"You alright Jaune?" It was an innocent enough question. He probably would have seen her blink if he wasn't focused on the glass in front of him. The drink in it was a bright orange that bled into red at the bottom. Half a ripe strawberry had been stuck around the rim of the glass, with a little umbrella next to it. It actually looked pretty good, alcohol or not.

"Yeah Yang, I'm fine." He picked up the glass, idly noting a thin bit of sugar around the rim with the strawberry. "Just thinking that I'm kind of glad you dragged me out now. A night out could be kind of fun." He took a slow sip of the drink in hand, sweet sugar and strawberry mixing with tangy orange juice on his tongue. It tasted more like a dessert than an alcoholic drink. That was enough for him to almost overturn the glass when he drained the whole thing.

Yang couldn't help but smirk. "And I'm glad to hear it Jaune. I'm guessing you like the drink?"

"Yeah," he gasped, taking a second to get a breath. "What is it?"

"Strawberry Sunrise. Chilled, no ice, and little umbrella to go with it." She grinned again. "It's a favorite of mine. It's not gonna get you drunk unless you're a lightweight or you drink like twenty of them, but a few of them should be enough to at least make you feel a little warm and toasty." Yang leaned in close, sipping her own drink. "How about another one?" At his nod, she grabbed him around his shoulders and pulled him in close. "That's what I like to hear! Hey John! Let me get another drink for my friend here!"

It started there. Jaune took the next two a bit slower, enough to enjoy the taste, but still fast enough to drain them. Conversation between them was light as a third drink was delivered by the bear of a man behind the bar. Mostly, it consisted of what they thought their classes were going to be like, and a few teasing remarks from Yang to Jaune about he might get eaten if they actually had to fight any Grimm. Jaune could only laugh nervously at that.

Then things got interesting. With the fourth drink delivered, John also set down a pair of sipping glasses and a clear bottle with no label. Whatever it was in the bottle, it was bright, candy apple green. They were told it was compliments of the house; a special mix by the owner, Robin. Yang had actually grinned at this. She'd had this stuff before, and boy was Jaune in for a treat. It only took her a moment to pour two finger's worth for them both, and hand off one to Jaune. He'd eyed it with trepidation for just a moment before he took it like a shot as Yang sipped her own. He received a grand surprise when his taste buds were hit with the tang of sour candied apple. He enjoyed the taste so much that he immediately accepted another two finger's worth when Yang offered it. And then a third, a fourth, and finally a fifth.

This had been a mistake.

Yang was actually quite amused as she watched Jaune lean back against the bar, giggling as he plucked and ate the strawberries off of his empty glasses. The flush of alcohol reached his cheeks quite splendidly, staining them like the strawberries stained his fingertips. He did not sway, and he didn't even look the slightest bit sick. If anything, he looked like he was enjoying himself immensely as he sucked the juice on his fingers. She was kind of surprised by it, but she was a bit impressed with him. She was already starting to feel the effect of the green monster in her glass, and she was only on her second. The fact that Jaune was still standing after five of them spoke leagues.

"Yan-YANG!" He giggled like a loon, then switched to a serious face and looked at her. It was ruined by the strawberry between his lips. He pointed a finger at the bottle, the digit spinning in a slow circle as he spoke with a slur. "What ish this stuff?"

"Now Jaune," Yang spoke, voice dripping with false innocence. She took another sip of her drink. "What makes you think I know what this stuff is?" He turned to face her, his face set to, what some would call, a suave grin and he leaned in close.

"C'mon now Hot Stuff, you were pretty liberal with the offers of more." He placed a hand under her chin. Yang's smile didn't waiver, but one eyebrow did rise. "We're you trying to get me drunk?"

"Wasn't really that hard though, was it Jaune?" she giggled, lightly pushing at his chest with one hand, and grasping the hand at her chin with the other. She did nothing to remove it. "Then again, Robin does call it Toxic Waste for a reason."

"Toxic…Washte?"

"Yep. A handle of Everclear, plenty of Green Apple Pucker, and a few other ingredient to cut the taste of the alcohol, and presto, a tasty treat that'll knock you on your ass in no time flat." She leaned in towards him, smirking and waggling her eyebrows. "You could have refused the offers there, Lady Killer. Looked like you were enjoying those drinks."

This time Jaune leaned back against the bar and his cheeks puffed a little in a pout. "It tasted like green apple candy. How could I say no to that?" He glanced away from Yang's smirking face for a moment, and then held up his glass again. "Actually, could I get some more, please?"

Yang couldn't help the laugh that came this time. So many mood swings, and so quickly too! This was turning out to be even more fun than she thought it would be. Who knew that trying to make someone a little more confident with themselves would be so enjoyable? Hopefully the effects would last once the alcohol let off too, and then maybe her sweet little sister could benefit from it. And who knows? Maybe if she did, perhaps Yang could try and point her in Jaune's direction. Honestly, the two of them together would be so cute!

"I'd pace yourself a little bit with this one if I were you. I'm not carrying your ass out of here if you pass out, and if you throw up on me, I'll be sure to kick it instead."

"Relax Hot Stuff," Jaune said, still with a decent slur and waiving off her warning. He did sip at the glass of green a little slower this time, but it still disappeared at a rate quicker than it should have. "Thish'll be it for me." He pointed away from the bar. "I'm going out there."

He was pointing towards the dance floor.

'Okay, maybe he's got a little too much confidence right now.' Yang raised an eyebrow and stood as Jaune placed his empty glass back on the bar. "You sure that's a good idea there Lady Killer? I think all that alcohol might be affecting you more than I thought." She leaned forward and gave a little smirk. "I mean, do you even know how to dance?"

"I'll have you know Yang that I can actually dance quite well." The slur and the flush of alcohol was still very much present, but she had yet to see him waiver or stumble. Where the hell had all his clumsiness gone?

Yang gave him the closest thing to a deadpan look that she could with that smirk of hers still in place. Clearly she didn't believe him. "I'd like to see you prove that, Jauny Boy."

Surprisingly enough, Jaune met her with his own smirk, drunkenly flushed though it was. "Well then, my beautiful Princess of Fire, allow this humble knight to cordially invite you to the dance floor…" He took a bow, never taking his eyes from hers and reaching for the hand not planted at her waist. He pulled it to his lips and left a little peck on her knuckles in his wake. "…so that I might prove you wrong."

Yang was pretty sure that part of the flush on her cheeks wasn't from the alcohol anymore. That had actually been pretty good. Corny, but still pretty good.

"Now Jaune, flattery will only get you places I want you to be," she said, still smirking, "but I do accept the gracious invitation nonetheless. Let's see what you got, Sir Lady Killer." Jaune grinned, this time the one doing the dragging rather than being dragged as he pulled Yang out to the floor. A new song had just been starting up too.

 _It's just like you always wanted to be, hitting the dancefloors all around the world where people can see you dancing, you are still on tope, still a thrill. Don't stop, you've got moves to kill…_

Jaune let go of Yang's hand as soon as they hit the middle of the floor. As soon as he did, he slid to the right, then back to the left. He switched back and forth between the left and right foot, each arm lifting and then dropping again for the respective foot. Those small steps quickly became larger, arms swinging until his hands were even with his head. His hips swung to the left, crossing his right over his left, turning into a half spin, and then finishing the other half of the spin with a slight jump before making another sidestep and lazily swinging his arms in the same direction.

 _Electric emotion…Running through my circuit… Electric emotion…Running through my circuits…_

Watching him, Yang wasn't sure whether she should be shocked or impressed. If she had been forced to pick one, it would have definitely been the former. This was certainly not what she had been expecting from him. She'd actually thought it was the alcohol that had been talking when he pulled her out to the floor. The feeling of shock was quickly giving way to impressed instead, and judging from the looks that he was getting from the crowd around him, she wasn't the only one. Yang actually chuckled. Jaune could hold his liquor _and_ he could bust a move? It was almost too good to be true.

He stopped in his movements just long enough to wave her over to him. "C'mon Yang, aren't you gonna dance?" He smirked a bit, his face completely flushed with alcohol. What had happened to his slur…? "Or maybe the big bad Yang doesn't think she can keep up with these moves?"

Yang felt a twitch in her brow. Why that smug little playboy... "Is that a challenge, Mr. Arc?"

"I don't know…" He danced in a little line, working his way up to her. "It might be." His smirk grew a little, leaning in closer. "Well? Can you keep up, Hot Stuff?"

Yang just smirked back. "Challenge accepted, Lady Killer. Lead the way."

And lead he did. During a lull between songs, where the bass beat kept up, Jaune danced back into the crowd, Yang following and mirroring his moves as he made them. There were cheers from the crowd around them, the massive group parting to give them space to do their thing. The whistles, cheers and clapping from the crowd grew in pitch and volume as they continued on with their dance.

The two of them moved together as if they had been practicing said moves together for years. When Jaune moved into a spin, Yang moved right into one with him. For each swing of his arms, she countered with one of her own. And the kicker was that they never missed a bit. There was almost no lag between them, or the moves that they made. For everyone watching, it was almost as if the two of them were in each other's heads, broadcasting the instructions for the next moves. Considering that they were moving almost as fast as the song that was playing, it could have been the only explanation.

 _Night of fire! You've better better stay! You've better better begin the prayer to play! Night of fire! Come over over me! Come over over the top, you'll have a night of fire!_

In the mind of the two golden haired dancers though, the crowd had long ago taken a back seat. For Jaune, he could only think about how much fun he was having. The alcohol in his system had his blood afire, the music pounded in his ears, and the sweat dripped from his brow from all the movement, but he was doing something that he loved to do. Plus, he was doing it with one of the hottest girls he had ever met! There were very few things that could make this night better for him.

For Yang, the thoughts were very much along the same line; she was enjoying herself far more than she thought she would. In fact, she was enjoying herself more tonight than she had going out on the town in a long time. When was the last time she had actually stopped to dance when she came to a club? There was always a drink or two when she went out, but she never took the time to actually dance. As it had been when she visited Junior, her nights out were always a search for information. The few dates that she'd had never seemed to be any real fun either. The guys always tried too hard to impress her, all false bravado and full of themselves. Those dates quickly buried any chances of second one when they found out she was an aspiring Huntress. Apparently, a lot of guys that weren't also an aspiring Huntsman couldn't take the thought of a girl being so much stronger than them.

Jaune was a nice change of pace though. Oh sure, he tried to do the whole 'macho' thing, and he had some really cheesy pickup lines, but he made all of it into more of a joke than anything else. Even he didn't treat the things he said all that seriously. He had a nice personality, he was funny, and he was easy to get along with. His skill on the dance floor wasn't all that bad either.

Neither noticed, but the people around them were treated to a nice little show as both Yang's and Jaune's auras started to flare up a bit. Yang's wisps of flame around her form and from her hair, and Jaune's own ivory aura trailed in the wake of their movements, almost leaving behind an image in their respective lights. The song playing overhead came to its ending climax, punctuated by the both of them with an overhead swing of their arms, a small twist to the side, and that same overhead arm swing coming down, back, and twisting back forward into an overarm punch to the ground, putting both of them down on a single knee as their auras died out again.

Both of them had a little grin on their faces as they turned to face one another, both panting from exertion. It didn't stop either of them cracking the little grin a huge one apiece, or cracking into a few chuckles as they got back to their feet. Cheers and whistles from the crowd around them rang in their ears as they proceeded back to the bar, each with an arm over the other's shoulder, still laughing like fools. Another Strawberry Sunrise and glass of water waited for each of them with their bottle of the green menace.

"How's that for keeping up, huh, Lady Killer? Bet you feel like eating those words now, don't ya?" She reached for the Sunrise to quench the thirst, wiping sweat from her brow. Jaune reached for the water, but he also poured another small glass of the Toxic Waste.

"Oh please, Hot Stuff," he responded in mock pomp. His own bangs were plastered in sweat, but he looked like he was having the time of his life. The water was gone in a flash. "You were falling behind there in the end." He sipped at the glass of green slowly now. "You put up a good fight, but even you can't keep up with the Dancing King."

"Dancing Queen is more like it," Yang came back with little smirk. Jaune hand shot to his chest and he swayed as the proverbial arrow struck, leaning himself back against the bar. "See, that just shows it right there, drama queen." She did lean in closer to him though, pulling him into a headlock for a noogie. "I'll admit it though, you do have some pretty good moves out there, Jauny Boy."

Despite the flush of the alcohol, Yang still noticed the embarrassed coloring that came to his face at her words. "Thanks Yang… Any chance you can let go? You're…choking me…" He also noticed that he was rather close to her chest, but best not open himself up to the consequences of mentioning that to the blonde brawler. Even when plastered, self-preservation seemed to kick in for him.

She let him go, but only after she gave him another noogie for his troubles. Jaune went back to another glass of water that had been placed on the bar. As he quietly downed the glass, he missed Yang's eyes on him, watching quietly as she sipped at her Sunrise. He also missed the passive look in her eye. He took down another glass, and finished off his Toxic Waste before he turned back to her. He jerked a thumb back towards the floor. "I'm gonna head back out there. You coming Yang?"

The look was gone before Jaune even had a chance to notice it. She only smiled and shook her head. "Nah. I'm gonna stay here and nurse this drink for a bit." She waived him off with a small smile. "You go have fun though. It's why you're here, right?"

Jaune just stared drunkenly for a moment before giving a million watt grin, a drunken giggle in its wake. He rubbed the back of his head a bit. "Heh, yeah. I'll be back in a bit." He did a little backwards dance into the crowd, giving a little two finger wave as he did. Yang gave her own wave back as she watched him go. Only after he turned from her did the passive look come back to her eyes. Again they did not leave Jaune.

She had been a little surprised when she had put him into that headlock. It had just been a little test. He was drunk off his head. She just wanted to see what he would do when he was that close. Maybe he would consider himself lucky and try to cop a feel. Oum knows he wouldn't have been the first to try. If he had, she would have punched him through the wall. That he looked more embarrassed than anything was a welcome change for her. She hated it when guys looked at her like she was a piece of meat. She may wear provocative clothing, but there were plenty of brains behind those perfect tits. She wanted to see if Jaune would be the same. Not so, it seems. Instead, he was just as genuine as he acted, even when he should have been piss drunk. He was friendly and kind, and give a little encouragement, he could be fairly confident when he needed to be. Just what her sister needed to get her to come out of her shell. Yang's thoughts stopped at that.

Her sister…

"You know Yang, I'm a little surprised." A new voice spoke up, interrupting that newly started thought. "In the time that you've been coming here, you've never brought along a guest."

Yang glanced to the stool next to her, taking in the newcomer. Holey jeans, baby soft leather boots, and a sleeveless green shirt with a pair of brown leather straps crisscrossing his chest decorated a wiry frame. His belt buckle reflected a bow with a notched arrow in the silver, and a fox tattoo decorated the shoulder and upper half of his right arm. A thin, sly smile pulled at a dirty blonde goatee that matched the messy nest of hair up top. Chocolate eyes gave a questioning look. Yang only spared him the glance before she turned her eyes back to the floor. "Since when have you cared who I bring with me, Robin? And aren't you a little underdressed for a club owner?"

"What's the point of owning the place if I can't dress how I want?" He gave a shrug and a 'who gives a damn' smile as he leaned back against the bar. "And it's just an observation Yang; no need to get so defensive. I've just never seen you bring a guest before. Is he your boyfriend? Tucker's going to be so disappointed when he finds out."

"Tough. You can tell Tucker that he can shove that Heaven's Punisher of his up his ass the next time you see him, by the way." To say that Yang looked upset may have been an understatement. Many would pity the fool on the receiving end of that glare. Good thing fire was restricted to her Aura.

"Now Yang, that's a little harsh, even for you." Robin sighed as 'Little' John placed a new glass on the bar. Robin poured himself his own glass of Toxic Waste and took a sip. "The man only did a little flirting. Even then, it was just a joke."

"I don't give a damn." Now her eyes were red as she turned to Robin, her arms crossed at her chest. "Good family friends or not, you do not hit on girls almost half your age, joke or no joke." She gave a disgusted little shudder. "It's creepy as all hell. Especially when he gets all that religious talk going…Makes him sound like a creepy priest."

"All right, all right, I got it. I'll talk to that unrepentant pervert," Robin chuckled, taking another sip. "No need to get your knickers in a twist."

"You better, or I'll make sure Mary-Ann talks to him instead."

Robin could not keep the wince off his face at that one. "Now that's just evil. I wouldn't wish my girlfriend's wrath on anyone."

"I bet," Yang said with a little snort. Scarlet slowly faded back to lilac while Yang turned back to the floor to watch Jaune. With plenty of room to work with, he was working magic with those moves and getting cheers from all across the floor. He caught her eye, smiled, and waved. Yang simply smiled back, and gave her own little wave. He was having fun. She was glad to see that, at least. Meanwhile, Robin watched quietly. This was new for him to see.

"So Yang, you didn't answer my question. IS he your boyfriend?"

Yang sighed. "No, he's not." She kept her eyes on Jaune and the dance floor. "He's a classmate. We both made it into Beacon today. My sister too. I felt like celebrating."

"But you didn't want to celebrate alone, I'm guessing?"

This time, Yang let out a little chuckle. "You know…That was the plan originally, but then I saw him while I was getting ready, and asked him to come along with me. Why should I be the only one to have some fun, you know? That, and I kind of wanted to see what he was like." She turned back to Robin and cracked a small grin. "Y'see, I kind of want to set him up with Ruby. From what I've seen so far, I think he'd be pretty good for her."

Robin had been watching Jaune on the floor, just as Yang had been. Half lidded eyes turned to the drink in his hand, swirling the green liquid a little in the glass. "And where does that leave you then, Yang?" He saw the questioning look from his peripherals. "I mean, why give him up to your sister? From what I've seen so far, he'd be pretty good for you too, young lady."

Yang turned away. "He's not really my type. Besides that, I've barely known him a day…"

"And yet, why is it that he's the first boy I've ever seen you bring here, information gathering or otherwise?" Robin glanced at her. "And the boys that do try to get your attention when you are here, you either ignore them, or they end up in the hospital." An eyebrow raised. "You asked him out to have some fun and scope him out for your sister? My dear Yang, methinks you don't know your own wants as well as you think you do."

"Bullshit I don't." Yang's eyes had turned red again.

"Relax Yang. I'm just saying you should take some time to think about the situation. You could be passing up something good." He stood from the barstool and turned away from her. "And with that, I'll leave you to it. Have fun Yang." He started to move away before he looked back over his shoulder. "By the way, young lady. If you plan on driving out of here tonight, then this is where I have John cut you off." For a minute, Yang looked like she wanted to argue, but just gave a little nod. Robin just grinned. "That's good. If you're not feeling up to driving though, just have John give you the key to the bedroom I have in my office. Later Yang."

Yang watched him go, letting out a sigh and shaking her head a bit before looking back to her glass. She had about half a Sunrise left. She might a well nurse this one for a bit. She noticed the bottle of green was gone too. She didn't pay it much thought though. Her mind went back to Jaune, and Robin's words. She'd just brought him along to have a little fun. She wanted to see if he would be good match for her sister. That was all she wanted…wasn't it?

"Yang?" She was broken from her thoughts by their subject. Despite the rosy flush of booze, Jaune looked a bit concerned. "You okay?"

She gave the best smile that she could. "Of course. Just thinking about a few things." The words 'mainly you' went unsaid. "Having fun, I hope?"

At the question, Jaune was all smiles and laughs. "I'm having an awesome time!" It was true. He felt great. He was hot as a furnace right now, and he was certain his shirt was drenched in sweat, but he was having a great time nonetheless. He wiped sweaty bangs from his eyes. "You don't look like you're having all that much fun though Hot Stuff."

"I'm fine," Yang spoke, smile becoming a little smaller. "Like I said, I was just thinking about a few things. Nothing major, promise." She took another sip of her Sunrise. "I'm glad you're having a nice time Jaune. Wouldn't have been much of a point bringing you if you weren't. You've looking a bit warm though. Another drink?"

Jaune let out a few panting breaths. He hadn't entirely gotten the wind back from all the dancing yet. "Just water please." John placed a perspiring glass on the bar. It didn't last a few seconds before Jaune guzzled it down. He went through a second just as quickly before turning back to the floor.

Yang raised a brow. "You going back out?"

"Yep," he quipped, smiling again. "And you're coming with me."

"Now Jaune, what makes you think you'll be able to get me to move from this stool?" Yang asked with a raised brow and a teasing smirk. Boy better have had his Wheaties if he thought he was going to make her move.

"It is the knight's humble duty to make sure that the beautiful maiden is taken care of." He went into a short bow. "In this case, making sure the maiden has fun dancing the knight's night away with him is the best way." He winked at her. "Will this wonderful princess grace the humble knight with another dance?"

This time, Yang was certain that the warmth in her cheeks was definitely not from the alcohol. "As I said before, oh humble knight, flattery will only get you places where I want you to be." Despite the flush, a teasing smirk came to her lips. "This time though, I'm certain the place I want you to be is on the floor with me." She grasped the outstretched hand Jaune offered and they made their way to the floor. Aside from drinks of water at the bar and a few trips to the restroom, they wouldn't leave the floor again for the rest of the night.

On the way out the door later, when all the alcohol had been flushed from Yang's system, she found herself with an arm around Jaune's waist, lightly supporting him. He was still a bit tipsy and ready to collapse, but he had a huge grin on his face. It mirrored the one on her own. She knew she said she wasn't going to carry him out, but he was still technically on his feet. She was just helping him stay that way. He managed to get on the back of her Bumblebee with no problems, Yang helping him tie the helmet in place before she climbed on herself. She would have to go without, but the safety of the rider came first.

"Make sure you hold on tight Jaune," she said as she slipped the keys in the ignition. She froze for a moment when she felt two arms wrap tightly around her midriff. She felt gentle puffs of air against her exposed skin.

"Thanks for bringing me along Yang. It was fun." He sounded tired, but he still managed to hug her a bit harder. He also still had a bit of slur as he spoke.

Yang paused only for a moment. "You're welcome." She paused again with a hand of the key. "Hey Jaune?" He gave only a small grunt in acknowledgement. "I was thinking of going out again later this week… Would you like to come out with me again?"

Neither spoke for another moment, one out of weariness, the other for nerves. "Sure. I'd like that." It was all she was going to get in words, but the hug tightening was enough. He didn't see it, but he received a smile in response.

"I thought you might, you silly boy." Keys turned, and an engine roared to life before they sped off back towards Beacon. Yang's smile could be seen for miles.

* * *

That first night would lead to many more trips out on the town for the two blondes. For the next several weeks, on nights when the homework load was light, or there wasn't any class the next day, Yang and Jaune would disappear into the city of Vale. They would head out after dinner, and then come back in the early hours of the morning, exhausted, flushed, and ready to collapse when they finally made it to their respective beds.

Their teammates had been mildly concerned at first. Considering that the two of them usually came back with the lightest smell of alcohol to them, they had somewhat of a right to be. They may have been close to the legal age, but for the moment they were still underage. They could still get in some major trouble. Yang was quick to assuage the fears of both teams; the remainder of Team RWBY that she was a big girl, that she knew her limits, and that she would never drive drunk; Team JNPR that she was able to keep a careful eye on their leader, and keep him from getting into any trouble. Pyrrha had been particularly concerned about her partner at first, but she came to find that she trusted Yang's judgment. However, Yang did not miss the 'look' in the Spartan's eyes when she saw the two of them together. Yang did her best to hide the little smirk when she saw it, mainly because she thought another little red was going to benefit from her observations of the White Knight.

As the weeks went on though, Yang found that her observations may not have been needed. As it turns out, alcohol or not, Jaune was just as sweet and wonderful on campus as he was off. He was a goof, and an unrepentant flirt when he wanted to be, but he was always good natured and trying to find the positives in life. Even more during that time, she noticed that her original idea to try and have Ruby and Jaune grow closer was not something that she needed to do anything for to achieve. It wasn't just that first day, or for the initiation; the two of them were the closest of friends that they could be. Yang knew they weren't sleeping together, but she was also pretty certain that the only ones they were closer with were their partners. The more the two of them hung out together, the more she noticed that Ruby became a little more outgoing. Jaune's presence, as well as all of their new friends, had a positive effect on the little red Huntress that Yang was more than happy to see. She hoped they would grow closer than even their partners could be.

So then, why did she keep going out on the town with Jaune?

This was the Million Lien Question that Yang kept asking herself. In her time gathering information about her mother, Yang had come to know the nightlife of Vale, and every club that the city had to offer. She made sure to introduce Jaune to every single one of them. The reception to each had been just as it had that first night. They would get drunk off their heads and dance the night away. Jaune would have a great time, and she would have more fun on the town than she could ever remember having.

Anytime she went out before, she always had a drink or two, but never any real fun. It was always information gathering before. She never took the time to stop and dance. She always turned away the guys that hit on her. They never deserved a response; they only wanted that one thing, and they were so blatant about it that she had to keep herself from punching them in the face. There was the occasional one who walked away without his teeth because they wouldn't get the message. What was the difference between them and Jaune? Jaune actually gave a damn about her.

When Jaune came out with her, he actually cared if she was having a good time. He didn't needlessly hit on her, or stare at her like she was a piece of meat. He talked to her, listened to her, made her laugh. Sure he was piss drunk while he was doing it, and the things that he said were corny as all fuck, but he meant every word that he said. She could always tell when someone lied, and she had yet to detect one from him. Did he even know how to lie?

It was a valid question as she took a sip of her Apple Pie. Just as they had been the first night out, they were back in The Hood, and once again Yang was sitting off to the side while Jaune tore up the floor. He'd been at it for almost an hour now. She didn't know how he did it. He was like a machine! She'd bowed out long before he had, content to cool off at the bar with John, sipping on water, Toxic Waste and a moonshine concoction that tasted like cinnamon-apple pie Robin had supplied to them on the house. It was a little known fact, but Yang loved apple pie. She'd had a bit more of that than anything else. Inebriation had led to thoughts, which led to questions that she didn't have an answer for.

Did Jaune know how to lie? Without giving himself away, probably not. He said he had a good time each time they went out, but wasn't he getting bored with the same old song and dance? They socialized, but they weren't too close outside of classes and group projects. He wasn't the truly wild type either. So why did he keep letting her drag him off on these little dates of theirs? Perhaps that was the Million Lien question she should be asking.

Yang was so distracted by her thoughts that she didn't notice the subject of said thoughts was right beside her again until he slammed down the tall empty glass of water he'd polished off. She nearly jumped, but stopped herself and focused on him again. He was leaning back against the bar, face flushed by booze and glistening in sweat. He panted, but he was laughing. A neon glass of Toxic Waste swirled in his hand, and the other ran through his hair. Slicked by moisture and salt, the hair stuck back and up in a few place, giving him a suave yet wild look.

She was not blushing. Nope. Definitely not.

"Jaune, why do you keep letting me drag you out on the town?" It was out before she even realized she's said it. She didn't care much. Jaune cocked his head at her, grinning like madman and still chuckling. The now empty glass was back on the bar. He could see honest curiosity in her eyes.

"Well…" He wiped away more sweat from his brow. "Why wouldn't I?" He chuckled some more. "We had a lot of fun that first night! I thought we'd have more if I went along with you again." He leaned in close, trying for a suave grin. "That, and you don't refuse an offer from one of the prettiest ladies you know."

Yang grinned back. He was being honest, but he wasn't saying everything. "Only one of the prettiest? Not THE prettiest?" She leaned away in mock pain. "You don't think I'm pretty enough for you?"

"No, no, no, no, no, no! That's not what I meant!" She had to keep herself from chuckling as his hands waived wildly in front of himself. He was cute when he was really flustered. "You're beautiful! You're sexy, and fun, a-and I l-love hanging out with you! I-I'm just not used to being friends with so many pretty girls!" His face flushed enough that the brilliant red coloring almost started to glow. He pressed his forefingers together in nervous anxiety. "I just… I don't want to screw it up, or hurt anyone's feelings…"

Yang stared at him for a moment before she let out a snort, which quickly turned to giggling. "You make it sound like you're dating all of us…Quite ballsy of you there, Lady Killer."

There was a 'thunk' as Jaune's forehead hit the bar. "That's not it… My sisters always said I was bad at this kind of thing." It came out as more of a moan than anything else. "I just meant I didn't want to chase any of you away. All of you and Ren are some of the first real friends I've ever really had. I didn't want to screw that up with any of you by making anyone feel bad, or saying the wrong thing… I might do it eventually though."

Yang was silent again, but there was a little smile on her face. By Dust, he was sweet, but it seems he still had some confidence issues. She'd have to work on that a bit. He'd lifted his head from the bar, and Yang wrapped an arm around his neck immediately. She pulled him close enough to face her, smile still in place. "I think you'll be fine Jaune." She grinned. "If it puts your mind at ease though, I'm pretty sure you can just say what you like around me. Unless you outright insult me, there isn't really much that you can say that will make me stop being your friend."

Jaune stared, mouth opening and closing minutely as his eyes made small movements in searching her own. His lips closed in a small smile. "Thanks Yang."

"Anytime, Jauney-boy!" She snatched the scroll from her coat pocket and checked the time. "Going on midnight. What's say we get out of here?"

Jaune gave her a bit of skeptical look. It was odd seeing it with his drunken flush. "You sure you're okay to drive?"

"Of course I am!" She said it with complete confidence. She couldn't feel the alcohol, and the room wasn't spinning, so maybe it had left her system. That was what she had thought until she actually stood up. The room spun quite a bit and she felt herself wobble plenty. Jaune didn't do much better when he moved to stabilize her. If they weren't hanging onto each other, they probably would have been on the floor. "Okay…Maybe not," Yang muttered. Thankfully, her judgment was still intact.

Jaune leaned them both back against the bar. He also handed her a tall glass of water that John dropped off for each of them. The thought of him being wonderful passed through Yang's mind when she chugged the water. There was a dull thunk as she set the glass back down and laid a hand on her head. It only helped the room stop spinning a little bit. "Sorry Jaune, I should have stopped drinking earlier. I don't think we're gonna be making it back to Beacon tonight."

Jaune chugged his own glass of water and let out a breath. "Neither of us were paying attention to the time, and neither of us stopped to think about it, Hot Stuff. Nothing to say sorry for." He glanced back at the bar, and then back at her. "What're we gonna do though? Neither of us are good to drive." The look that Yang gave him, despite her drunken flush, promised murder. He waved his hands in a placating gesture. "Kidding. Just kidding." She loved that bike almost as much as Ruby and her hair; he wouldn't drive it in a million years, even if he could. "Maybe we could get a room somewhere?"

Yang couldn't stop the teasing grin. "Oh Jauney, I never thought you'd have the balls to try and pick up a drunken hottie. You know how bad this makes you look there, Lady Killer?" The panicked look that overtook his face warred with the embarrassed flush that lit it up. Yang couldn't help but laugh when the denials came. He was adorable when he was flustered. This time she made the placating gesture, even though she was still busting a gut. "Relax Jaune. I know what you meant." She even patted him on the head when he calmed down. "Not a bad thought either. So, you got the cash for it? I'm kind of tapped out at the moment."

Jaune looked at her for a brief moment, holding up a finger and opening his mouth to speak. He clammed up pretty quick and slumped forward. "I don't even have my wallet, let alone enough Lien to pay for a room somewhere." He planted himself on one of the stools and slumped again. His head landed on the bar surface with a painful sounding smack. A small 'ow' was the only response he gave for it.

Yang patted him on the back, small smile in place. "It's cool Jaune. Don't feel too bad. It was a good idea; you just didn't think about that part." He let out a groaning sigh, but not much else. Yang perked up a bit though. "I know! We could…" She trailed off when a massive hand held up a key in front of her face. She glanced to the side, seeing 'Little' John standing with a smirk on his lips. "Um…what?"

John just waived the key a little more. "You forgot all about the room that Robin told you about last time, didn't you little missy."

Yang would never admit to the embarrassed flush as long as she lived. "Yep." She took the offered key, trying not to glare at John's smirk. "Smug bastard." She failed marvelously. "So, where is it again?"

After pulling Jaune from his bar stool, surprised that he was actually still awake, John led them to what they assumed was Robin's office. He let them in, pointed to the one door on the far side of the room, and bid them a good night before heading back to the bar. The two of them stared after him before turning back to face one another, and Jaune let out a weak chuckle. "Well, at least we have a place to stay and sleep it off?" He shrugged his shoulders and scratched lightly at the back of head, goofy smile present to accompany the flush of alcohol. Yang slipped the key into the lock, the lock itself making a surprisingly loud click as she turned it. Well-oiled hinges opened with a silent contrast to reveal that which lay beyond.

The room itself was surprisingly awesome. Both had expected something small, with maybe a little twin bed to crash on after a long day at work. It seems, just like the rest of the club, that opulence was a wonderful thing where Robin was concerned. It was fairly large inside, even more so than the office that it was a part of. Rather than an overhead light, several small lamps cast a soft glow over the entirety of the room. Lush green carpeting blanketed the floor, blending into a light teal as it met the walls themselves. Surprisingly, the ceiling itself was black, yet it glittered like the stars in the night sky. It was a beautiful effect. The bed at the wall really took the cake though.

The bed itself was easily a queen, possibly even king sized. There was no frame; the box spring sat upon the floor itself, and the mattress sat upon it as one would expect. The blankets and sheets that they could see were green to match the rest of the room's interior, while the comforter held a floral pattern. Lilies crisscrossed the surface in vibrant blues and rich purples, with the occasional red to break the pattern. At the end of the bed that sat against the wall, large, luxurious pillows of the same colorings were piled high. To top off the luxury, hanging from the ceiling and down around the bed was a sheer black curtain, parted in the middle for easy access by any potential occupants. Patches of the curtain could be seen glittering in the low light of the room, just as the ceiling did.

Yang held back a chuckle at the site of the bed. For her, it reminded her of stories her father read to her when she was younger. The more she thought about it, the more it seemed like it was taken straight out of 1001 Vacuan Nights. She was almost tempted to see if there were any harem outfits lying around.

Jaune's thoughts were much less in depth.

It was with an excited shout that he dove through the curtains, a huge smile on and a laugh escaping his lips when he bounced. Doing a little turn in the air, he wound up on his back, spread eagle on the comforter. He still had a grin on his flushed face. Yang stared, blinked twice; she couldn't stop the smirk or the headshake. However, she couldn't keep the slight fondness that shone in her eyes out. 'What a dork,' she thought as she walked to the bed, staring down at him with a raised brow.

"Oh Dust. Yang, you have to try this bed," he groaned, squirming side to side a bit. "It's so comfortable!"

"You don't say," Yang deadpanned. "I couldn't tell by your reaction." The deadpan gave way to a grin though, and just as Jaune had done, she leapt through the curtain and into the middle of the bed next to him. She bounced a bit, her hair spreading out behind her as she settled into the mattress. Dear Oum, he wasn't kidding. It was almost like laying on a nice fluffy cloud. They both crawled forward a bit before they both collapsed on the biggest pillows in the pile. They were even more comfortable than the mattress. Surprisingly enough though, neither of them felt all that tired, but settled into the bed nicely enough, tossing shoes off through the curtain, Jaune tossing off his hoodie for a black tee-shirt, and Yang her jacket for just her yellow tube top. She relaxed back against her overstuffed pillow, hands behind her head. "Man, if I'd have known that Robin had a place this swanky for us to stay, I would have taken him up on the offer that first night. Kind of makes you glad I couldn't drive us home tonight, huh Jauney boy?" There was no response. Had he fallen asleep? She turned to him. He'd been staring in her direction, his eyes half lidded. They weren't directed at her face either, which only brought out a smirk on it. "Jaune…?"

His eye immediately shot to her own and they stayed there for several seconds before he directed to a direction away from her. She was pretty sure that the redness in his face could be seen from the moon. "Sorry." He said it quickly. "I… I didn't mean to stare." Yang blinked once, having expected him to become more than a little flustered, and even to freak out a bit that she had caught him staring at her. Aside from her shorts and skirt, she was only wearing what amounted to a single piece of cloth. It was a first for him too, so it wasn't like she wouldn't forgive him. The smirk came back again. Teasing him though…

Yang was up on her hands and knees fairly quickly, crawling across the bed spread and kneeling over Jaune before he could even register it. Surprised ocean stared up into mischievous lilac, a single finger tracing lightly along his jaw and down his neck. "But you were still staring…" Her voice crooned low as she leaned a little further in. Any closer and he would have been able to count her eyelashes. The finger at his jaw left and went to Yang's chin. Her eyes went half lidded as she dragged it down her throat. Jaune couldn't help his eyes as that finger slipped into her cleavage and pulled at her saffron top. "You must have liked what you were staring at…"

The gulp and blush were inevitable, but Jaune still managed to look away and to the side. "Yang, knock it off, please." Even he wasn't sure if the request sounded sincere. "I don't like being played with like that." Yang blinked again, but she let out a giggle and acquiesced.

"Sorry Jaune." She flopped down next to him on the pillow, trapping his right arm beneath her as she dropped. "I just couldn't help myself." He was a little surprised that she slid up against him. She even laid a hand on his chest. "It's just kind of fun to tease you." She looked at him and grinned. "Besides that, you're kind of cute when you're flustered."

If there was ever a statement that could make him flush any harder, that was it. For several seconds he didn't say anything. His cheeks flared and he stared slightly open mouthed at his current bedmate. After several moments of silence, he lightly scratched the back of his head and mumbled a quiet, "Thanks Yang."

For her part, Yang just grinned a bit more. "Not a problem, Lady Killer." She pushed herself fully up against him now. She made sure that her breasts molded into his side, but was a little surprised that he didn't flush more than he already was. In fact, she was slightly more surprised when she felt the arm she was laying on lift and circle her back. He also didn't look too embarrassed anymore. In fact, the flush had actually receded some. There was a goofy smile in place now, and Yang had to admit he wasn't just cute… He was handsome. She just stared at him for a moment, her thoughts running.

Did she like Jaune? Yes, but more as a friend than anything else. They had fun together, he treated her right, and he was cute, if a bit of a goof. Did she think that she could love him? Possibly a long time down the line, but right now it wasn't something she was ready for, or even really wanted. For the time being, she just wanted to keep being an awesome friend. Besides that…

"Speaking of cute things…" she started, lightly tapping Jaune on the chest with a finger. He glanced at her, eyebrow raised. "What do you think of my sister?"

Of what Jaune had been expecting her to say, her asking his thoughts on her sister hadn't been one of them. He was unsurprisingly caught off guard. "I…um…Beg your pardon?"

"Ruby." Yang's smile was actually innocent for once, and there was real curiosity in her voice. "What do you think about her?"

"What do I think?" At Yang's prompting nod, he spoke again. "Well… Like you said, she's cute." He stopped for a second and then shook his head. "Who am I kidding? She's adorable, she's straightforward, a bit funny every now and then, if a bit awkward and shy to start. Granted, she can be a bit of an airhead from time to time, and when it comes to weapons, she's a fangirl through and through." Jaune smiled. "She's quirky and fun to be around. She's one my first real friends in a long time…" He turned his head to face Yang, whose eyes were somewhat wider. "Just like you, Yang."

She could tell the alcohol was out of her system. She couldn't blame the blush on it now. "So… would you consider her datable?"

Again, another question he was not expecting. "I… Wh-What makes you ask that?"

"Just wondering." Eyes were still locked, and she began drawing little circles on his chest. "I kind of thought the two of you would be pretty cute together." Breasts molded to pecs as she leaned in. "So I ask again, would you date my sister if given the chance?" Silence and a blush were her answer. Closer still. "Would you stop there…? If the two of you were like this, what would you do to my baby sister?" Little room remained between. A single smooth leg wrapped over faded and torn denim. Jaune's eyes were wide, breath deep. Inches separated them, her own breath dancing across his skin. "Well…? What would you do?"

Her back met the mattress before she could even register that Jaune had moved. Golden tresses fanned out like a halo, lilac staring up into bright ocean. Yang was deftly aware of decently strong hands around her wrists, but she did not struggle. Though strong, they were gentle in the way they gripped her. They were still for several moments, each staring back at the other as Jaune took several calming breaths. The silence broke when he spoke.

"Anything."

Yang could only raise a brow at that. No smirk came, no mischief was present. There was only more curiosity. "Anything?"

"Anything. Everything." He just continued to stare. It was impossible to miss the tenderness in his gaze. "Whatever she wanted me to do. All she would need do is ask."

Yang couldn't miss the slight glaze to Jaune's eyes. The alcohol still had a hold, but it was very quickly slipping away. Beneath the sugar glaze of booze, she could see the hunger there. She could see the lust in his gaze. The way his eyes focused though, it was clear to her, just as his words were… He definitely wasn't talking about Ruby.

"All she has to do is ask, huh?" She idly noticed his leg was lightly pressed across the top of her thighs. It certainly had to be an awkward position to keep. Shifting and rolling her waist just a bit, Jaune's denim clad leg slid further so that it hit the comforter, pressing lightly against the material of Yang's shorts. Straddling her hips as he was now, Yang was suddenly very aware of just how big Jaune was. A thin frame belied just how heavy he actually was; evidence of dense muscle packed onto a small body. She felt much smaller than she knew she was…Had Jaune always been so huge? Yang's confidence briefly left her. Only briefly. "Would you be gentle if she asked…?" She glanced away, as if embarrassed, but then her eyes were forward again, a small grin in place. "It's been a while for her, and last I checked, virgins like you didn't know how to control themselves."

"Virgin?" Yang was actually surprised when Jaune raised an eyebrow. "What makes you think I'm a virgin?" What's more, he looked legitimately confused. Now that was something Yang really hadn't expected.

"You're not?" Jaune only gave a little shake of his head. The tease came back. "Oh my, aren't you just full of surprises, Lady Killer. How'd that happen?" Once again, the response was not verbal. If anything, the way he flushed neon red and averted his gaze was very telling. Yang could see there was a story there. For now though, it was going to wait. Arching her back against the pillow, she pushed her breasts forward to the point her top looked as if it would split. She could feel his eyes back on her, his hold on her wrists loosening just enough to slip out of his grip. Leaning forward, Yang propped herself on her elbows. He was so close now, she could feel his breath on her lips.

"It doesn't matter…" The tone in her voice was low. Taking in air, she could almost taste the green apple on his breath. Half lidded lavender had thin lips locked in site before they met glazed sapphire. The question was there, asking for permission. Her response was to smirk. "I'll tell you if it's too far, but otherwise… Do what you like."

* * *

 _It might not be the right time… I might not be the right one…But there's something about us I want to say… 'cause there's something between us anyway…_

A steady beat and calm lyrics slowly broke the sandman's spell, gently pulling Yang's consciousness back to the forefront. A wonder of where the music was coming from slipped through a sleep addled mind before quickly dismissing it. Sucking in a deep breath, she awakened with a stretch. Small pops in some joints were heard before she settled back into place on soft sheets and pillows. She let out a pleasant sigh as a pleasured tingle rippled through her limbs and body, tired though they were. She didn't even open her eyes.

Her arm came to lay back across Jaune's back. A reverse of the norm, Yang's hand idly moved to stroke strands of his blond locks, his head planted at her bosom. Gentle snores reached her ears, and she was certain that he'd drooled a little between her tits. She didn't mind much; he'd done the same to her nipples. She was also pretty sure he had a leg draped over her own… Was that an erection she felt against her thigh?

A groan escaped her lips. "How can he still be hard after all of that…?" The tired smile that came did not match the supposed exasperation of her words. She felt herself wet at the memory of the night before, despite the slight soreness she could feel as well. Jaune had proven himself to be… lasting. Pleasant though the thoughts may be, they didn't diminish the headache that came on with them, along with the memories of the alcohol… and the sudden need to relieve her bladder. She had to get up.

One lilac orb cracked open and then a second to take in her surroundings. The glittered surrounding of the bed shawl twinkled lightly now, sun peeking in through a small window and skylights that had gone unnoticed the night before. The lamps were off, and she noticed the digital clock on a stand next to the bed with a small drive plugged in. 'So that's where the music came from…' Scanning the rest of the room, she spied a door off to the side, a sink and shower curtain in view of a bathroom mirror. She moved to sit up, only to stop when she felt Jaune twitch.

She suppressed an exasperated groan. She didn't want to wake the loveable oaf, but she had to go dammit. With careful slowness, Yang slowly managed to extract herself from Jaune's grasp (boy had a grip like iron, jeez) and slide to the edge of the bed. She watched him for a moment as he made incoherent mumbles and reached for her before grasping onto a pillow and rolling over. From there it was a mad dash to the bathroom, quietly slipping the door shut behind her.

After finishing her business, it was with an audible sigh of relief that Yang washed her hands. Much better. Only after she finished did she take a moment to notice her reflection in the rather sizable mirror. Rough kisses had left her lips tinged with a light redness, in heavy contrast to the dark hickeys on her neck left by love bites. Large, heavy bruises in the shape of bites stood out on her throat and collarbones where Jaune had really sunk in his teeth. The idle thought of her scarf being a needed accessory slipped across her mind.

Eyes sliding down her torso, she was met with much of the same; little marks here and there where Jaune had used his teeth. Nipples were red and slightly swollen from the treatment of rough teeth and hands, standing out against the cream of her skin a bit more than they usually did. Going further, Yang reached the apex of her legs where more teeth markings stood out on the inside of her thighs. The light shine of dried fluids stood out marvelously against her smooth, abused womanhood, a redness peeking through to hint at vigorous activity.

Yang lightly prodded at the bruise at her throat. How the hell had he managed to get through her Aura? "Seems the Lady Killer can be pretty rough when he wants to be. Who knew?" She certainly did now. Any further musing was interrupted by the ringing of a scroll ringtone.

 _This will be the day we've waited for, this will be the day we open up our door…_

It took Yang all of two seconds to realize that it was _her_ scroll ringing. The tone itself was enough to tell it was Ruby calling. It was her sister's favorite song after all. It took her a moment to find her jacket amidst the pile of her and Jaune's clothes, buried in the bottom as it was, scroll in the pocket. Sure enough, Ruby's smiling face filled the screen. A light tap and, "Hello?"

"YANG?!" That was definitely Ruby. The ringing in Yang's ear told her as much. "OH MY GOD, YANG?!"

"Ruby?" Yang risked bringing the phone back to her ear, despite the decibel level. "What's going on? Why are you shouting?"

"What-what's going on? That should be my line!" It was now that Yang noticed the slightly panicked tone in her sister's voice. "Yang, where are you?! Are you alright? Did something happen?! Is Jaune with you?! Did you guys get into an accident?!"

"Ruby, calm down! We're both fine!" She tried to keep from raising her voice, if only to keep from waking up Jaune. "Ruby, what's wrong?"

"What's wrong, Yang Xiao Long, is that you apparently never came back to the dorm last night!" They must have been on speaker phone, since it was Weiss on the other end now. "We'd thought that perhaps you'd gotten up early today, but then Pyrrha came frantically knocking at our door saying that Jaune had never come home!" The ivory haired girl sounded fairly more than angry at this point. Perhaps at least a text would have been a good idea. Yang glanced back at the blond in the bed. She hadn't exactly been thinking about much else last night.

Blake decided to get in on things too. "We checked for your bike, and it was gone as well. Considering that we didn't receive any kind of message saying that you would not be coming back, you will have to forgive us for assuming the worst." There was disappointment in her partner's voice. "We thought it best to at least try reaching you before going to the teachers."

There was slight worry as her sister spoke again. "You should have at least called if you weren't coming back last night, Yang."

Yang let out a small sigh, slightly disappointed with herself. It's true. A phone call would have avoided her friend's worry. "Sorry about that. We weren't exactly in our best minds last night before we turned in."

"Then Jaune IS with you?" Oh, so Pyrrha was with them too.

Once again, a glance towards the blond in the bed. "Yes. He's still asleep right now, but he's fine. We're both fine." There was a nervous scratch to the back of her head, despite nobody seeing it. "I wasn't in any shape to drive, so we found a place to crash for the night." Perhaps she should have held her tongue, but she spoke the next words anyway. "Granted there was only one bed, but it was plenty big enough for both of us."

Silence reigned on the other end of the line. The smirk came naturally. Pyrrha spoke up again. "…You and Jaune shared a bed?"

"Yep."

This time it was Ruby. "Yang…did something happen between you two?"

"Nope," she said with a pop. "Jaune took one side, I took the other, and told him that if he tried anything, I'd treat him like he'd pulled my hair." That might have been taking it a bit far, but it would get her point across. "Wouldn't matter either way. It's not like Vomit Boy would actually do anything like take advantage of a girl, right?"

"I…I guess not…" Ruby again. "Then… are you guys going to be back soon?"

Yang took a moment to think about it. It was the weekend, so it wasn't like they had any classes that they needed to be back for. She took a look at the clock. Still fairly early. Might as well have a bit of a lie in. Wasn't like Robin had come to kick them out yet, so he likely wouldn't mind. "I think I'll let Jaune sleep a little longer. Once he's up, we'll clean up, grab a bite to eat, we'll be back to Beacon. Promise." She paused for just a moment. "Pyrrha, sorry I made you worry about your partner."

"No, no, it's okay!" The Spartan girl actually sounded a bit embarrassed. "Don't worry about it. As long as he's safe, that's all that matters. I'm glad you are okay as well, Yang."

"Thanks Pyrrha. And sorry about making you guys worry too. I didn't mean to scare you Ruby."

She could almost hear the pout in her sister's response. "Just don't do it again, you hear me Yang?"

The grin came full force. "Loud and clear, little sis."

"Don't think you're off the hook yet, Yang Xiao Long." Oh boy, Weiss was back again, and she didn't sound any happier. "There will be words when-!" Click. And the white haired demon was gone, just like that. Yang smirked. No way in hell was she going to sit through a princess lecture. The scroll rang a moment later. Ruby's number again.

"Hello?"

"DID YOU JUST HANG UP ON ME?!" Yang could resist.

"I don't know. Did it sound like this?" Click. Worth it. So worth it. Well, since that was out of the way, time to climb back in bed. She was set to do just that too, if there hadn't been a bright pair of ocean blues staring up at her from the mattress. Seems Jaune had woken up at some point during that conversation. They stared at each other for a moment, though Yang took no action to cover herself. Jaune took notice when he broke eye contact and his eyes trailed down her body, stopping briefly at her chest and crotch. Still no move to cover. Jaune's eyes were back up pretty quickly though. He looked a tad nervous.

"I…" One dry swallow later, he found the rest of his voice. "I'm about to die… aren't I?"

Yang blinked twice. Then she snorted, which turned into a small chuckle. Oh, poor guy must have heard what she said to her team. Well, shouldn't waste an opportunity to tease him a bit. She sauntered over to the bed, slipping back in. "Well now Lady Killer, that all depends on you." She propped herself up on a pillow right next to him. Jaune was still lying flat on the mattress. Considering the size of the pillow, and the fact that Yang was laying on her side toward him, Jaune found himself eye level with Yang's waist. This time he swallowed to bring the moisture back to his throat. He didn't resist the hand that dipped beneath his chin to tilt his head upward. Yang had that smirk again.

"You weren't planning on treating like me a notch in your belt, were you?" The answer for that was a slow shake of the head. He followed the gentle pressure she gave at his chin, having him move to prop himself on the pillow with her. Now he was about eye level with her chest. "And you're not gonna treat me like I'm your personal whore you can come to anytime you wanna stick your dick in something, right?"

If anything, Jaune actually looked insulted at that second one. "Of course not! Why would-?!" He was cut off when Yang locked lips with him. His eyebrows shot up for a moment before lowering again, eyes slipping closed as he enjoyed Yang's softness. The kiss came to a close much sooner than he would have liked, and yet he found himself facing a smiling Yang when he opened his eyes again. She slipped an arm around his neck and pulled him into her cleavage.

"Then I don't think we'll have any problems, Jauney boy." The hug was as short lived as the kiss had been, though she pressed against him as he laid back on the pillow. "Although, I wouldn't be opposed to doing this again…" A finger twirled languidly along a pec, making the muscle jump. "What do you say Jaune? Still feel like having fun with your good friend Yang?"

The blush came very naturally for him. "I…I wouldn't mind, no."

"That's the spirit!" The finger at his chest became a full hand splayed across his skin. Going for full cuddle mode, Yang molded into him and trapped him in place as she locked his leg between her own. "Well, we have a little while before we need to get back, so how about we just cuddle and…chat for a bit."

"Chat?" For some reason, he really didn't like that word. "Chat about what exactly…?"

Mischief reigned in those smoky purple eyes. "Well you've got me curious, Lady Killer." The hand at his chest dipped to glide over his abs. It stopped just short of his waistline. "I mean, you did say that you weren't a virgin, and you've had a lot of practice." A blonde brow raised, as did the corner of her lips. "Given what I've seen of your track record with the ladies though, I would think you actually don't get any practice at all."

"Hey now! What's wrong with my track record?" Jaune asked, feigning insult. "He even flexed his free arm. "I'll have you know the ladies love me!"

"Sure they do…" The sarcasm flowed strong in this one. She even punctuated it with a pat on the cheek. "You just keep telling yourself that Lady Killer." The hand went back to his waist, fingertips tickled by a few stray golden curls. "Then again, if they knew just how good you were, they'd be lining up for you."

"I'm not that good…" The flush stood out wonderfully on his skin.

"Certainly the best guy that I've ever been with," she quipped. "But like I said, I'm curious…" She leaned into his ear. "How much practice have you had, hmm Jaune?"

She felt him heat up under her. Ruby's cloak would have looked pale. "…Enough." He only glanced at Yang. The look in her eyes would have looked appropriate for a hungry tiger.

"Well c'mon, aren't you going to give me details? Was she older than you? I bet she was. Bet she had a lot of tricks up her sleeve, didn't she. C'mon Jaune, don't leave me hanging!" He would not look at her at this point. "Give me something at least. I mean, it's not like you had help from your mom or anything like that." She stopped when he stiffened and focused his eyes back on her. The grin on her face turned to a shocked frown. "No…

"Um… Well…" He could have been seen from space by now. He scratched the back of his head. "I believe her actual words were 'My son is going to know how to please a woman even if I have to teach him myself.'"

Yang actually sat up at that one. She looked a little green. "No way. Don't tell me you actually fucked your mother…"

"Ew, no way!" Jaune was up too. The blush was gone. "Yang, that's just nasty." He glanced away, looking a bit sheepish. "It was just some of her employees…"

"Her employees. I see." Deadpan would not have been considered flat enough for the look on Yang's face. "Do tell, Lady Killer."

"Well…" A scratch of the nose. "Have you ever heard of 'The Navy Nevermore'?"

Yang really raised a brow at that question. Of course she'd heard of The Navy Nevermore. Any idiot with a libido and a lot of lien to burn had heard of the place. It was the one place in all of the red light district that was lit up blue as the sky. It was high class, known for providing 'services' to big name military brass and high society government types while still being popular amongst the regular populace of the kingdom, and known to cater to all kinds of tastes. It was said that a person could walk in and would be taken to heaven, or beg to be taken to hell for just a taste of what they could be offered. She'd even heard talk of a musician who would sweep you away with the beautiful, haunting tune of his saxophone, a man so pretty that he could sometimes be mistaken for a woman.

"My mom is the Madam there."

Yang's thoughts stopped and shot off when he said that. The Navy Nevermore wasn't just a brothel of class and import. In the underworld of Vale, it was also known to be one of the best and most valuable sources of information and secrets out there. If you needed information, there was no better place to go. Even more, all of it was controlled by one woman. She owned and ran the place. Few people knew her or even what she actually looked like, and the ones that did never spoke against her for fear of retaliation against them. Supposedly, she was like a force of nature when angered, and her rumored husband was not someone you ever messed with unless you wished to disappear.

"Wait…" Yang moved closer to her fellow blonde. "Your mom is Mother Magenta? Are you fucking kidding me?!" Jaune could only give a nervous laugh. Yang's disbelief gave way to exasperation as she shook her head. "Jeez Lady Killer, you really are just full of surprises, aren't you." Another nervous laugh. She leveled another curious look at him. "Well then, if that's the case, then just how good are you Jaune?"

"Well… I've put down two of my mother's best pretty quickly before," Jaune said, tapping his chin. "You lasted longer than either of them ever have though."

"Good to know Jaune. Great to know I can hold up against your unending stamina when two professional whores can't. I might just have to punch you, Lady Killer." Yang was deadpan again, and Jaune looked really nervous. The deadpan went back to the teasing grin quickly enough. "Relax Jaune, I'm kidding. Like I said before though, I'm not gonna be your personal whore. Am I understood?" The finger pointing at his nose brokered no arguments.

"Yes ma'am!"

Yang smiled. "Good. Now come on!" She pulled him bodily from the bed. If he hadn't known better, Jaune would swear she'd dislocated his shoulder. "We have time to kill, so how about we clean up a bit." A free hand swept through her long hair. She could feel all the excess grease and salt in her strands. "I don't know about you, but I'm not exactly a fan of smelling like our own salt and juices."

Jaune blinked at that, idly lifting an arm to take a whiff. Immediate recoil occurred when a smell not unlike stale salt and spicy fermented vinegar hit his nostrils. How he hadn't noticed that before, he had no idea. "Fair point. You want the first shower?"

"First shower?" There was honest confusion with that raised eyebrow. "What makes you think there's going to be more than one? You're coming with me, Jauney boy." She bit her lip, giving him an appreciative once over. "We can…lather each other up."

"L-lather up?" Jaune filled up like a juice container. "A-are you sure? I-I mean, I thought you said…"

"I said…" Yang purred, getting up close to him. Jaune felt a hand brush along his thigh. "I wouldn't be your personal whore, but I also said that we would have more fun." He felt a breath at his ear as she leaned in close. "What's the matter Lover Boy? Not feeling up to it after last night's performance?" There was a teasing quality to her words that pressed a button for Jaune. His brow creased down just enough; an errant twitch that was easily missed. Yang felt the hand at her back and behind her knees before she even knew what had happened. Next thing she knew, she was suspended in the air in a bridal carry, a squeak of surprise and risen brows alight on her face.

The smirk on Jaune's face belied his own surprise of the situation. Where the heck had that come from? 'She's really light.' He'd actually thought that he'd have more difficulty picking up the blonde berserker. Was he always this strong? Whatever, might as well roll with it. "Well Hot Stuff, I think I can manage to stoke your fire a little more for you." Yang stayed silent to his quip though, still staring at him. Jaune lost his smirk after a moment, blinking in confusion. "Yang, you alright?"

As if breaking from a trance, Yang blinked a few times and nodded. "Yeah." It had to be a trick of the light, right? His eyes…What she'd seen couldn't be right, but best to let it be for now. She found the smirk that Jaune had lost. "Well, aren't you the chivalrous one."

"I'm supposed to be your knight; chivalry comes with the territory. Didn't think you'd mind too much." He started walking, careful with his pretty cargo and making sure not to pull any hairs.

Yang was back on her feet soon enough, leaning against the wall as Jaune prepared a hot shower for them both. Silent contemplation washed over her as she stared at him. What she'd seen had been odd, but it seemed to be back to normal now. She idly touched her throat, the bruise from Jaune's bite almost completely gone thanks to her Aura. The other tiny markings were gone too, leaving pristine white skin. Another oddity. How had the marks formed at all? Her Aura should have stopped them, despite him biting her skin directly. Not that she hadn't enjoyed the bites, but it was a mystery, and Yang was growing more and more curious. She'd find out more in due time. For now though…

"Hey Jaune?" she asked tentatively. A quiet 'hmm' was received in response. "Do you remember what I asked you last night… about Ruby?"

Jaune only stiffened a little bit. He glanced back as she scratched the back of his skull. She could see the tips of his ears turn red. "I…um… Yeah, for the most part… Why?"

"Just wondering. Since I kind of…pushed things along, you never answered my question." Head tilted and grin in place, Yang asked again, "If given the chance, would you date my sister?"

Jaune looked nervous. "Um…" He was actually starting to sweat too. "Well… Like I said, she's cute…"

"Jaune." Queue the deadpan look. Yang had a pretty decent idea as to his thoughts, given her usual reactions towards anything negative against her baby sister. "I'm protective of Ruby, but I promise you will not be harmed for giving me a straight answer." He stayed quiet for another moment after that statement while Yang stared at the back of his head in expectation. He turned to face her quickly enough though. His cheeks were pink, rather than the vibrant crimson from before.

"As long as it didn't screw up our friendship," he spoke slowly, "then yes, I'd be more than willing to date Ruby." The two of them stared at each other. No words were exchanged. Only after several moments was the silence broken by Yang.

"That's what I'd thought you'd say." She stepped forward, patting him lightly on the cheek. "Even if you don't date my sister, at the very least keep being her friend." She was grinning again. "Besides, I was just kind of curious. Honestly, I think the two of you would be kind of cute together. Now come one Lover Boy." Grabbing him by the arm, she dragged him into the shower.

Feeling the hot water cascade over the two of them, Yang let out a sigh of relief. The answer that he'd given really was what she'd thought he'd say. Despite where they were now, Jaune wasn't the type of guy who'd ruin his relationship with a friend if he could help it. She wouldn't push him to Ruby too hard, but she wouldn't do anything to discourage the relationship if it were to be a thing. Besides, Ruby seemed to have a little crush on Jaune from what Yang could see. Perhaps if Ruby ever worked up the courage to say anything to him, then maybe things would take off between them. If not, then as long as Jaune was a friend to Ruby, she'd never have to worry for her sister. She and Jaune were good for each other. She wouldn't lie though… they'd be adorable together.

Yang's musing was interrupted by strong hands at her shoulders. She let out a moan as fingers kneaded at her muscles, pressing at the flesh to make any tension seep away. She leaned back into Jaune's touch, his fingers moving to press at ribs while she pressed against his chest. "A massage too? Holy fuck Jaune, if you keep this all up, I'll never let you leave this room." She leaned her head back to lay it on his shoulder. "You're not made of chocolate too, are you? If you are, I'd almost say you were Monty's gift to women."

Jaune let out a nervous laugh. "Sorry Yang, but no. You don't get to eat me."

"Well, you're not made of chocolate…" Yang mused, gently blowing at his ear lobe. She pressed further into him, feeling herself mold to him. "…but I bet you still taste pretty good." She turned on him, still pressing at him. She felt those strong hands at her breasts, pressing and gripping at the soft flesh as she pushed them into his touch. The smile was sultry and promising. "I could eat you up, if that's what you want." She felt it pressing at her thighs and stomach. Despite the shower's heat, Jaune's erection still felt much hotter. She nipped at his lips, teasing a kiss as soft fingers brushed along the pole of flesh pressing at her. "Or maybe you'd rather fuck me again…?"

She was pressed against the shower wall a moment later, Jaune towering over her. Wet bangs clung to his face "Don't tease me, Yang." He glared down at her, and she would only smirk back. If he was trying to be serious, then his erection completely ruined the effect.

"But it gets you so worked up Lady Killer." She saw and felt him shudder when she slowly worked a hand over his dick, gently pulling at the skin as it played over the head. She lifted a leg up for him, holding it up behind her knee with a free hand. A single bead of liquid dripped from her quim, and they both knew it wasn't water. "C'mon Jaune…" She gave him little kisses to spur him forward. "You can let out all that tension in here…"

Again he surprised her when he knocked his hand away from his member and lifted up her other leg. He supported her fully now, her back to the wall with a hand under each knee. A smirk mirrored her own. "Careful Yang. I might wear you out again." He only just registered the arms circling his neck.

"I think I can deal with that…" She pulled him in for another kiss. As her tongue danced with his, a random thought occurred to her. Though they were sisters, Ruby and Yang had never had to share anything when they were growing up. They always had their own things; their own clothes, their own toys, everything. They didn't even share mothers. The only thing they ever shared was their dad. It was kind of funny, actually. The only thing that they ever had to share was the man in their life.

'Sorry little sis,' Yang thought, a moan escaping her lips as she felt the crown of Jaune's phallus press against the folds of her womanhood. 'I think we're gonna have to share this man too.'

Further thought was lost as her nether lips parted to take the knight's sword, a cry of pure pleasure ripping from her throat as he sunk himself deeper into her body. A pleasured tear reached her eye as he bottomed out inside her. Oh god, she felt so damn full as she looked him in the eyes again. There it was again. She had to be seeing things. Maybe it was the steam, or maybe she wasn't awake as she thought she was. As his thrusts began, she found she could care less. She held on tight as he pressed her against the shower wall, using her body to satisfy his own as his tongue pierced her lips again. Through the haze of pleasure given by dancing tongues and strong thrusts, the thought came as unbidden to her mind as the pleasure.

'He looks really good with green eyes…'

* * *

To those of you who haven't figured out what I'm doing yet, let me just say this: Jaune is going to be so overpowered by the time I'm done with him, it won't even be funny. Seriously, we're talking stupid powerful. Don't like it, well... Can't help that. Sorry, not sorry.

To anyone else who spotted the references I made, then good job on you. It means you enjoy a classic anime. As for members of my OC Team, who will be somewhat interspersed throughout. Don't worry though, they will have very minor roles. By the way, Robin's full name is Robin Reynard. It should be obvious where his inspiration came from. :P

Now, with all of that said, time to get back to work. Other stories and chapters require my attention. If you want to read the Lemon version of this, here's the link: panteraichigo deviantart com (forward slash) art (forward slash) RWBY-Arc-De-Triomphe-Ch-1-Night-of-Fire-576536641

Don't forget to add dots and the appropriate symbols. And with that, I'm out. See Ya Space Cowboys! Bye for now! SnK.


	2. Do You Think I'm Pretty?

A/N: I bet you all thought I was dead, didn't you. Sorry to disappoint, but given the genes and durability in my family, I won't be dying anytime soon.

To all of you who hadn't given up hope and have been waiting very patiently, I welcome you all back. To my Hollows, sorry you haven't seen me for a while. I know that apologizing doesn't mean much, but hey, i feel the urge. Glad to see everything is coming along so well for you guys. Fifth, congrats on the new work, and I hope it's coming along well.

Now, before we begin, just a heads up for everyone. I'm still posting an uncensored copy of this under the name PanteraIchigo over on DeviantArt. However, due to previous indications of trouble in reaching the copy there, I have also recently set up an account on ArchiveOfOurOwn, also under the name PanteraIchigo. Here's the link: archiveofourown /users/PanteraIchigo (don't forget to remove the space before "/users")

To those who had problems previously, hopefully this will help, and everyone can enjoy.

One last thing. If you think this chapter isn't up to snuff, sorry about that, but nothing I can do. I get into the heads of characters when I write, and making sure Nora came out right was tough because the inside of her head... not on par with Pinkie Pie, but pretty close.

I've said my piece, so I hope you all enjoy.

Disclaimer - RWBY belongs to Monty Oum and Rooster Teeth. I'm just here to dance in the world.

* * *

Arc De Triomphe

Chapter 2 – Do You Think I'm Pretty

A RWBY Fanfic

* * *

"…I'm sorry. I think I had something crazy in my ear. You want me to do what?!"

Jaune would consider himself to be a fairly easygoing individual. It would really take a lot to get him riled up, this is true. Given that he wanted to become a Huntsman, a hero to the people, he also liked to think that it took a lot to make him nervous. Considering that since he'd started Beacon he'd gone up against a Death Stalker and a Nevermore, and considering that he had almost no combat training when he had, he was justified in this thought. Yes, he still needed work when it came to other aspects of himself, but he was getting better.

However, given what his pink eyed teammate was asking of him, he was well within his right to panic as the blood drained from his face.

"Jaune," the ever-stoic Lie Ren spoke, "I know that it seems like I'm asking a lot of you…"

"Asking a lot of me?!" The blond team leader was pushing towards hysterics. Drops of sweat dotted his brow. "If you know what you're asking me to do, then why the hell are you asking?"

"Because you're the only one I can ask, Jaune. And you're the only one I would trust to do what I'm asking."

"What about Pyrrha?! Couldn't you have asked her?"

"Did you forget that Pyrrha was going home to Mistral this weekend? Remember? Her manager wanted to talk to her about a possible photoshoot, and she wanted to spend some time with her parents? Does that ring a bell?"

"Oh, damn it, that's this weekend?!" Jaune pulled at his hair. "If I'd have known that you were going to ask me to do this, I'd have begged her to stay and help me avoid death!"

"Jaune." Ren was going even more deadpan than usual. "Now you're just being ridiculous. It's nowhere near that bad."

"You're just saying that because you do it every day! To anyone who doesn't, this is tantamount to suicide!" He tried to take a deep breath, but that quickly devolved into the rapid rise and fall of hyperventilation. "Oh Dust, I can't breathe!"

"Jaune!" This time, Ren's words were punctuated by him grabbing onto his leader's shoulders and giving him a small shake. Just one. "Listen to me. It's only going to be for a couple of days. I'll be back on Sunday night. You're going to be fine. You can do this. I need you to do this for me."

Jaune stared into the eyes of his teammate and saw the seriousness there. He really did need him to. Those quick breaths became deeper again as Jaune's nerves began to settle. He finally took one last deep breath and let it out slowly, running a hand through his hair after Ren let go of his shoulders. "I know you do. I'm sorry for freaking out, but… Ren, living up to the standards that you've set is going to be next to impossible."

Ren knew what he was asking was going to be difficult. There were days that he wondered how he managed to do the job himself. He honestly wouldn't be asking Jaune for his help if he absolutely didn't need to, but the situation required it.

"Jaune. I'm just asking that you babysit Nora for the time that I'm gone. It's not like I need you to save the world."

Yes. Jaune Arc was panicking over the task of keeping an eye on Miss Nora Valkyrie. Apparently, Ren confirmed a need to head home to Mistral for a visit. He hadn't said what for, other than that it had concerned family matters. Naturally, since the two of them did everything else together, Jaune had assumed that Nora was going to be going with him. The two of them were practically family, so it would make sense if she went with him. No dice, it seems. Jaune had actually been surprised when Ren told him Nora was to stay at Beacon. When Nora saw him, she'd given Ren a loving hug, a beaming smile, and wished him a good trip before skipping off to the cafeteria for something sweet. That had led into Ren packing for the trip, and his request of Jaune to watch Nora.

If it had been anyone else in the shoes that he was currently in, there were few who probably wouldn't be doing the same thing. In the time that she had been at Beacon Academy, Nora had earned the title of "Bouncing Bomber" by more than a few members of the student body. The ones that didn't refer to her by that title called her "the Absurdly Powerful Princess." She was a force to be reckoned with. All of team JNPR had come to be seen as one the most powerful first year teams, second only to team RWBY. However, if Jaune's team really needed to have an ass-kicking delivered, Jaune always sent in Nora, who always thanked him with a smile and a big hug. There were still times that he wondered if she cracked his ribs.

The point in the situation was that Jaune knew what Nora could do. As her team leader, he'd seen her when she was at her brightest and happiest. Of course, that also meant that he'd seen her when she was angry. This was not a good thing. He still remembered what she did to the last person who had upset her. It wasn't pretty.

The poor fool would be released from the hospital after the extraction took place.

Jaune did not want to end up in the same place. "No offense Ren, but babysitting? She's seventeen. She's almost practically an adult by this point. When you say you want me to babysit her, it almost sounds like you don't think that she can take care of herself."

"I don't doubt she can," Ren countered. "But someone has to keep her from getting into trouble when I'm not around. Thus, here we are."

Jaune was almost freaked out. This was the most he had ever heard Ren speak in one sitting. It must be really important for him. "So, you're setting me up for the chopping block? Great! I'm not gonna die at the claws of a Grimm, I'm gonna die at the hand of my own teammate!" He let out a hysteric little giggle. "Just great!"

"You will be fine, Jaune. I promise." Ren shut his suitcase with a click. To Jaune, it almost sounded like a gavel banging to pass his sentence. He was out the door the next second, Jaune following after him, still looking somewhat worried. As they walked, Ren spoke, "Jaune, you're right about one thing. Nora has been my best friend for a long time. I know what she's like, and I can tell you for a fact that looking after her will not be as bad as you think."

"Forgive me for thinking differently Ren," Jaune deadpanned. "You forget that I've seen her when she's upset with someone. You may not bat an eye when that kind of thing happens, but to let you in on a secret… Nora's scary when she's angry." He thought about it for a moment. "Not as scary as Yang, but just about." He shuddered at the thought of angry Yang.

Ren simply gave him a look. "Then allow me to let you in on a secret as well, Jaune. Nora may be an outgoing and excitable girl, but you're one of the few people that she truly likes and respects." He stopped and turned to fully face his leader. "You would have to do something truly unforgivable to make her angry with you." He laid a hand on Jaune's shoulder. "She trusts you without question, and so do I."

Jaune could not find a response to that. He just couldn't. He's never been told something like that before, outside of his own family. To actually hear such a thing put to words by his team...it almost made him choke up. Almost. He briefly wondered if it was the same for Pyrrha. That thought was quickly shot down. He was closer to her than anyone else as her partner. He highly doubted that was a notion her needed to worry about. He pushed it to the back of his mind for now. "Thank you, Ren."

"Of course." The jade clad teen tilted his head in acknowledgement. The thrum and whoosh of a jet engine reached them both. Jaune glanced to the side to notice the Bullhead set itself upon the platform. When had they reached the aircraft dock? Had he really not been paying that much attention? Oh Oum, Ren was really leaving. He really was leaving him with Nora! He was going to freak out again. He could already feel his breath leaving him. Ren didn't seem to notice.

"I'll be back Sunday evening. Make sure Nora stays out of trouble until then." For just the briefest flash of a second, Jaune looked as if he wished to argue once again…or beg for his life. However, it quickly abated and he let out a sigh.

"Sure thing, Ren. Hope everything goes smoothly." He waived his friend off as Ren turned to make his way to the Bullhead. Before he turned away fully, he stopped. Jaune only raised an eyebrow as the green gunman reached into the sleeve of his shirt and pulled out a folded square of paper. The raised eyebrow turned into two when Ren held the folded piece of paper out to his leader. Jaune took it, blinking in mild confusion. "Um…What's this?"

"Sorry. I meant to give this to you when you were freaking out before." He was facing Jaune fully once again. "It's a list of things I normally do for Nora." He gave his usual small smile. "Just follow this and you should be fine."

Jaune took the piece of paper, but not without a light twitch developing at his brow. "And you didn't think to give this to me before?! Were you trying to make have a heart attack?!" There was plenty of exasperation in his voice. Ren's small smile turned into a small smirk. The speed of the brow twitch increased by a notch or two. "You were hoping for a reaction out of me, weren't you?"

"Just a little. I thought it might do you some good. You've been a little…off this week." Jaune's brow raised again with his friend's words. "Don't worry about it too much. Just wanted to see how you'd react." Flipping his gym bag over his shoulder, he turned back to the Bullhead. He gave a lazy wave as he walked off. "See you Sunday evening."

"Yeah." Jaune said, blinking a little bit. As he watched his friend go, he thought back to Ren's words. Had he been acting differently this week? He didn't think that had been the case. Sure, he'd felt a bit irritable, but didn't everyone get that way from time to time?

Looking back on his memories of the week, he did notice that perhaps Ren was correct. After his little jaunt, and subsequent night and morning out with Yang last week, Jaune had found himself somewhat on edge all week. Nothing really major, but little things that normally wouldn't bother him was starting to make him twitch in minor irritation. With things that really annoyed him, like Cardin Winchester, that he normally brushed off no problem, now he actively had to reign himself in to keep from reacting to them.

Combat training had been a bitch all week long.

As he thought about it, another thing that he noticed was that his appetite had shot up. Ridiculously. As a school meant to train Huntsman and Huntresses, the heroes of the kingdoms, the mess facilities of Beacon were set to high standards. Meals were prepared to be balanced and nutritional, yet provide all the essentials needed for days filled with constant exercise and conditioning; protein and carbohydrate heavy foods were a norm, balanced by top quality fruits and vegetables, but all in sizable portions. A standard plate of food at Beacon was enough to feed two civilians normally. Jaune had previously experienced trouble putting away a single plate.

As of this week, he was putting away almost four...at each meal.

He hadn't really thought about it while it was happening. He'd just been hungry; he'd barely been aware of what he was doing. He was a bit surprised that nobody had said anything about it. Though he did recall Yang making a few cracks about his big appetite, and about betting it wasn't the only thing big about him.

Jaune blushed some when he thought about that. It had taken all he had at the time to keep from blushing. He'd played it off with usual clueless, dopey antics. Reactions had varied for the rest of the group; a cute blush from Ruby, Weiss had spouted something about indecency and gave him a look like it was his fault, an eye roll from both Blake and Ren, and Nora was...Nora. Pyrrha had lit up like a light and had been giving him little glances, which he'd waived off after a little thought. Yang had merely smirked and laughed at her little crack. Only Jaune had seen the smoky look and the lick of her lips she had given him.

Now Jaune was fairly certain his face was on fire. Yang had been much…closer this week than she had been previously. She was taking every chance that she could in order to get closer to him, regardless of when it was. Their friends hadn't seemed to notice, or at least he didn't think they had. In class, if she wasn't sitting next to him, then she was sitting either in the row directly in front or behind him. At meals, it was much the same; either next to or across from. He always felt a foot brush against his leg in either case. He would glance at her then, and though she didn't show it on her face, he knew it was her. Though she did give a wink to him from time to time. He'd have called her out on being a fucking tease if they weren't trying to keep things quiet about what they'd been doing.

Yes, what they had _been doing_ , not what they _had done._ Despite her warning to him about not treating her like his personal whore, she didn't seem to mind when she sought him out. The next trip out on the town this week had taken them right back to the Hood. Oh sure, they danced the night away, but the alcohol had been a bare minimum. Regardless, they'd still asked for the key to Robin's office bedroom. The smirk that John gave Yang when she asked for the key had actually made her cheeks color some…not that she'd let him see it. That was fine.

She hadn't seen the thumbs up and fist bump that Jaune had been given either.

The surprise he'd experienced at the situation came as soon as the door to the room had closed behind him. He'd expected Yang to slam him against the door. It hadn't hurt. There hadn't even been a sting, despite the force she pushed at him with. The kiss she gave him was demanding, wanting to the point of desperate. He'd responded to her in earnest. She'd pulled at his shirt, to the point where he heard threads start to split. He'd taken hold of her then, flipping them and slamming her against the door. He held her arms over her head, glaring down at her with furrowed brows.

The surprise came at the look on her face. The kiss had been desperate. The look was equally so. Yang's lilac eyes stared up at him like a puppy that had been denied its treat. If there had ever been any doubt that she and Ruby were sisters before, then that had been shattered. He hadn't done anything for several moments. Yang had pushed against the hands at her wrists to little avail, failing to move him in the least. Jaune simply stood there and watched her. She had given up rather quickly, a little tear coming to the corner of her eye.

"Jaune…Please." It had been a plea, no more, no less. He had acquiesced as soon as she had asked. His hands stayed planted against the door and their eyes remained locked. Yang had reached for his shirt and belt as he'd let her go. As soon as the shirt was gone, their lips had met again. Clothing was ripped from each and discarded before they collapsed onto the bed. From that point, Yang was putty under Jaune's skilled hands. She would melt for him many times this night, and then a satisfied ride back to school for them both. Nobody awake to see, they would make their way back to their rooms with Yang on Jaune's arm. No words had exchanged, only the squeeze of his arm and the gentle caress of his fingers across the back of her own in his grip. The parted at the door, not before Yang pulled him down for a quick kiss, a hug, and a whispered, "Thank you."

He watched her until she closed her door. She smiled at him as she slipped the door shut, and he let out a quiet sigh as he heard the lock click into place. Even as he contemplated it now, it would not be the first time he wished he could see into the heads of women. He wished he'd been able to that night. He didn't doubt Yang's inner thoughts weren't easily worn on her sleeves, but the way she had looked at him…like she had been looking for something…

"Jauney!"

"Huh?" It was the only word that had time to leave Jaune's lips as he was forcibly broken from his thoughts. A force like a ballistic missile hit him from the side, and threw him several feet in the opposite direction. He bounced and slid for a few feet. He was fairly certain his skull had bounced off the pavement a few times, and that his skin had scraped against the concrete. Where was the pain? It certainly didn't feel like he'd cracked his skull, or lost some skin to the rock. Even for his now skyward view of the world, he felt a pressure at his abdomen. A rather strong pressure at that. It was actually getting a little hard to breathe.

"Nora…" he wheezed, gazing down at the offending projectile. Sure enough, it was his teammate, squeezing the living daylights out of him and rubbing her face against his shirt. She looked up at him with a toothy grin.

"I found you, I found you!" She was all giggles and grins. "We're gonna have sooo much fun this weekend!" She squeezed harder; there was still no pain, but Jaune was fairly certain he heard a crack or two. "Without Pyrrha and Renny, we have the whole room to ourselves! Kinda lonely, but so exciting! What should we do? Play video games all night? Tell scary stories? Sounds like a sleep over! Can you have a sleepover with only two people?"

"Nora." The ginger bomber immediately stilled and looked at her leader. He looked a little blue.

"Yes, Jauney?"

"Need...air..."

Nora giggling was not something he'd expected to hear. "Silly Jauney! You don't need air." She was still grinning. "You need oxygen!"

"Nora... Let go... I can't breathe..." The pressure on his ribs immediately released and glorious, life giving air flowed back into his lungs. Nora had sat up, still in his lap and giving a salute like a good little soldier.

"Yes sir, fearless leader, sir." She was giggling again as he sat up, a hand at his chest as he took a few deep breaths. She had yet to remove herself from his lap. She looked up at his face with a childish curiosity, squirming in her seat. "Ooohh. Hey Jauney?"

"Yes Nora?" His breath was finally back to him as he spoke.

"When did you get bigger?"

He'd been turned away from her. Now she had his full attention. "Beg your pardon?" Nora just cocked her head a little, still curious.

"You're bigger than you were before!" She poked at his shoulder and chest. "Oooh, you're harder too! Have you been working out?" She scoffed to herself. "What am I saying? Of course you're working out! You do it with us all the time! Have you been secret working out? Is that what you're doing when you go out with Yang?" Jaune barely had time to blink before she went off again. "No wait, there's a perfectly good gym on campus. But you always come back sweaty, like you've been in a fight! Oh, are you fighting people?! There's a lot of bad guys out there to fight!" Nora's eyes lit up like starlight. "Oh, oh, are you fighting crime?!" Then she immediately took on a pouty, disappointed look. "And you didn't invite me?! Bad Jaune!" Then she bapped him on nose and crossed her arms in a huff.

Jaune took a moment to wiggle his nose against the slightly harder than normal tap she'd given it. In the same moment, he digested the flow of information he'd received. He blinked at her pout and chuckled. Better to address the last thing she said. After all, an upset Nora was a bad thing. He patted her head and spoke. "No Nora, I haven't been fighting crime. If I do though, you'll be one of the first ones I ask to help me."

Queue the starry eyes. "Really?!" Once again, Jaune felt his air supply cut off as Nora hugged him again, this time around his neck. "You're the best, Jauney!" He could hear the glee in her voice. "We'll break so many legs!" The malevolence too.

"Okay, okay… Nora, you can let go now." He tapped at her arm several times, slowly turning blue again. Nora let up much more quickly this time, though she did keep her arms at his neck.

"Sorry Jauney." She gave him a confused look, shifting once again in his lap. "You didn't answer my question though. How'd you get so big and hard?" And once again Jaune could only blink at the question. Any response he was to give was quickly cut off by a nearby shout.

"W-What do you two perverts think you're doing?!" Jaune glanced away from Nora as she turned her head. He'd know that voice anywhere. The princess was here. And so were her teammates. Team RWBY had a myriad of looks currently, ranging from the blushing indignation of the Schnee heiress and cute bemusement of their leader, to the book buried nonchalance of the team ninja and the saucy smirk by the blonde brawler. He simply blinked and gave a little wave.

"Yo." Weiss didn't seem to appreciate the greeting.

"Don't you sit there and 'Yo' me, you blatant pervert! You're in public, for Oum's sake! Have some decency!"

This time, both Jaune and Nora blinked. She looked between herself and Jaune. She had yet to remove her hands from Jaune's neck. "Any idea what's going on Jauney?"

"Not a clue." He looked to the other members of the Ice Queen's team. "Anybody know what Snow Angel is going on about with the pervert stuff?"

If Weiss got any hotter, her team was pretty sure that steam was going to spout from her ears. Not that all of them noticed, in Yang's case. Her grin was looking particularly mischievous by this point. "I don't know, Lady Killer. Although, considering that Ren left only a few minutes ago, it didn't take you two very long to get _down and dirty_." Groans came from all around at that one, even as Yang chuckled. "Ah c'mon you guys, that was a good one. They're actually in the dirt."

Jaune looked between himself, Nora, and their position. Even though his cheeks dusted with pink, he wouldn't let it get to him. "Yang, that was bad, and you should feel bad." He moved to stand, despite Nora not moving for him to do so. He still managed to make it to his feet quite easily, Nora never letting go. She actually had shifted herself on him, scuttling to position herself at his back, legs wrapped around his waist and arms still around his neck. As she was now, she was the strangest backpack that anyone had ever seen. Jaune barely registered her weight. Dusting himself off, he gave Weiss a look. "And you've got a dirty mind, Snow Angel."

Indignation was probably the best word to describe Weiss's reaction. "H-How dare you-!" She stopped when she realized Yang was standing beside Jaune, both she and he wearing the same damnable smirk, a fist bump exchanged between them. Jaune had just baited her, and she'd almost taken the bite that would reel her in. Well, good thing she stopped herself. Instead, she simply crossed her arms and huffed. "Well, what can you expect me to think? Especially given Nora's comments."

"But Weissy," Nora said, missing the slight tick that developed on Weiss's brow, "It's true! Jauney's gotten bigger and harder!" She jumped off of Jaune's back moving to stand next to him. She held a hand up to his shoulder. "I used to be here on him." She moved the hand to the top of her head, which came to just about even with the middle of his ribcage. "Now he's so big that I only come to here on him!" She put a finger to her lips. "I wonder how we all missed it…"

Jaune glanced down at himself. Now that someone had pointed it out to him, it was quite a noticeable change. How he'd missed it himself was beyond him, but it was true. Nora definitely seemed smaller than she had before. Well, that certainly explained the slight draft he'd been beginning to feel around his ankles. It also explained the sudden tightness he'd begun to notice in all of his clothes and uniforms. He'd honestly thought that perhaps they'd shrunk a little in the wash. With the rest of team RWBY coming closer, and seeing that the top of Yang's head barely came up to the base of his neck, it definitely wasn't his clothes shrinking.

"Wow Jaune, that's amazing!" And like a shot, there was Ruby standing in front of him with stars in her eyes. She stood just about as tall as Nora did, just around the middle of his abdomen. His head bounced, following as she bounced up and down in front of him, all excitable energy. "How much milk did you have to drink to get so big?!"

Jaune felt the sweat drop appear on the back of his head. "Ruby, it takes more than just milk to grow bigger. You need fruits and veggies to get what your body needs as well."

"Blasphemy!" It came as a shout both from Ruby and Nora. He was pretty sure his ears were ringing between the two of them.

"He isn't wrong." Ruby looked like she'd been betrayed as her bookish teammate spoke up, taking her eyes from her reading. "Having your favorite foods isn't a bad thing, but the necessary vitamins and minerals are crucial for a body's healthy growth." She gave the tall blond a sideways glance. "Given Jaune's appetite this week, I'm sure he understands this greatly." The little smirk she gave him made him blush. He had no idea why.

Ruby looked back up at her friend. He'd already been taller than her before. Now she just felt tiny. "So, then he's this big because he's been eating more? I thought people only got fat when they ate like that."

"Hey!" Now that was just uncalled for. Return fire mechanism, engage. "Coming from the Cookie Queen of Remnant, I don't think you should be talking about what should make people fat."

"Did you just call me fat?!" Ruby's voice came like a combination of a whine and a shriek. "I am not fat!"

"No, you're not," Jaune affirmed with a grin. Then he reached out and pinched one of Ruby's cheeks. "And yet you have such pinchable cheeks." He let go of her cheek and was greeted by the most adorable angry pout he'd ever seen. Not even his sisters could match this. Oh Oum, she was like a puppy. He just wanted to pet her. Blake beat him to it when she laid a hand on Ruby's head.

"Relax Ruby, he's just joking with you. Given your Semblance, I'm fairly certain your metabolism is more than capable of keeping you fit." She glanced to Jaune. "Though I believe this sudden growth spurt is the cause of Jaune's recent appetite, not the other way around."

"It would make the most sense," Weiss chipped in, a hand at her chin. She looked Jaune up and down with an inquisitive eye. "His body would need to accommodate for the mass and energy needed for such a change." She scowled as Jaune tried to give her a suave smile.

"See something you like, Snow Angel?"

"In your dreams, Arc." He slumped a bit, but not too much. Especially when he saw Yang give him a small wink. Weiss's scowl deepened just a bit as she continued to look him over. She turned to her teammates, gesturing to the blond knight. "Am I the only one that finds this just a bit odd?"

"Yep," Yang responded with a pop. "Why? Jealous that someone's had their growth spurt before you and your girls?" Weiss reddened in either anger or embarrassment. Possibly both.

"He's grown half a foot in a week! And he was six feet tall already!" She glanced to the side. "That kind of thing isn't normal, even for an aspiring Huntsman."

"Don't forget he's harder too!" Ruby was the one who said it, happily and with a finger pointed to the sky. The only one who didn't look at her with a blush was Nora, nodding her head from over Jaune's shoulder. Only after she stood there for a moment did she bring the pointing finger back to her lips and cock her head in question. "Actually, Nora, what did you mean when you said he was harder?" And queue a sweat drop from everyone

"Well I meant his body, of course!" A hand left Jaune's neck and pressed at his ribs and stomach. "I mean, have you felt him? He feels like he's made of rock!" She reached over to squeeze his bicep. "Aw, this one's not hard enough. Jauney!" She looked at him. "We need a gun show! Fire away!"

Okay, he was lost. "Uh…What?" Nora groaned out loud in exasperation.

"I need you to flex! C'mon Jauney, curl that python!" Jaune was pretty sure that he was starting to get a headache already. This is what Ren dealt with day in and then day out? He kind of wished he was still a bystander to the whole thing now. Probably best to humor her.

"All right, all right. Jeez, just say that the first time." The arm lifted and curled. He had not been prepared for the sound of ripping fabric that reached his ears. Six sets of eyes fell on his shirt sleeve. It appears the sleeves had had enough. The seams had given way to his muscle, exposing a rather sculpted looking bicep beneath. They were silent for a moment before Yang let out a whistle.

"Damn Jaune, I knew all this training was doing you some good," she said walking up to him and placing a hand on the exposed skin, "but I didn't know you were getting so… _ripped._ " There was a collective groan once again, but Yang's attention was still on the arm. She gave it a nice squeeze, but the muscle did not budge. "Oooh, Nora's right. Nice and hard. Yang likey." The glance she gave him was more than a bit suggestive. Thankfully, Nora and everyone else didn't seem to notice. He would just leave it be for now.

He inspected the hole in his sleeve. "And this is my favorite shirt too," he groaned. "I wonder if I can stitch it up…"

"No time to worry about that now, Jauney! We have a slumber party to plan for!" Nora's eyes suddenly lit up as if she'd had an epiphany. She took in the collective team before her. "Oh hey, did you all want to come too?!"

Ruby was excited of course. "Yay! Slumber Party with Jaune and Nora! Will there be cookies?!"

"Wait, slumber party?" Jaune perked up, looking at his teammate. "What slumber party? We're having a slumber party?"

"Well of course! Remember we were talking about earlier? Try to keep up Jauney!" She looked back at Ruby. "There'll be more than just cookies!" She looked left and right, as if searching for eavesdroppers, before leaning over Jaune's shoulder and speaking in a conspirator whisper. "I have this secret stash that not even Renny knows about. It's full of yummy goodies! We'll break open the seal on it tonight!"

Jaune really should have been scared by the stars in Ruby's eyes. "All right!" She turned to the rest of her team. "Team RWBY, slumber party in the JNPR dorm tonight!"

Weiss did not look pleased with the confirmation. "I do hope you're joking. You expect me to sleep in the same room as a boy? Who knows what he might do." She pointed a finger at Jaune as she asked. Once again, he only slumped a little bit.

Blake looked to the heiress with a raised brow. "You didn't have any trouble sleeping in the same room with a bunch of guys before initiation."

Weiss crossed her arms when she looked back to her teammate. "That was different; teachers were present at the time. This would be completely un-chaperoned."

Blake's brow raised just a bit higher. "And are they present whenever you need to utilize the bathroom and showers?" Weiss stared at Blake for a moment before a dusting of pink overtook her cheeks and she turned away with a huff. She'd kind of forgotten about the unisex washroom situation for Beacon.

"It'll be fine," Ruby said, waving off Weiss's concern. "I mean, we'll be sleeping in the same room as Jaune, not a boy." She entirely missed the storm cloud that formed over Jaune's head at her words. Both Nora and Yang patted his shoulders to try and comfort him. "C'mon Weiss, what else do you have to do tonight?"

"Ugh... Fine." She gave Jaune a look and pointed at him. "But you had better be on your best behavior, mister. Am I understood?"

Jaune's eyebrow twitched upward at that. "Now wait a min-."

"Deal!" Nora interrupted. She grabbed onto Jaune's hair, turning him towards the dorms. "C'mon Jauney! We have a slumber party to prepare for!" She lightly kicked at his sides, urging him forward as she pressed at his head. "Hyah! Giddy up!"

"Wait, this is really happening?"

"This. Is. Happening!" She said it with an excitement that he'd not seen in her before... Or perhaps he had, but he'd just never been so close to the action before. She jumped down from his back, bouncing on the balls of her feet before him. "I'll be back! I need to get my supply! You get your shirt changed."

He raised a brow at her. "We need to get back to our room first." Nora just giggled.

"Silly Jauney! We are at our room!" Jaune was going to rebut her statement, until he glanced off to the side. Indeed, they were outside their door. How had they gotten back so quickly? They'd been at the Bullhead dock less than thirty seconds ago!

He turned back to his teammate. "How...?"

"We walked of course, you silly-billy!" She just kept giggling. Then she saluted him. "Operation: Slumber begins now, Jauney, sir! Permission to retrieve the hidden goods and entertainment, sir!"

"Uh...granted?" And just like that, she was gone. And he had no idea where she had gone. He could already feel the headache starting to form. He'd never really paid attention to it before. This is what Ren dealt with on a daily basis? Oum bless his patient soul. The door clicking open, he had to wonder if he would be able to survive the crazy. Then again, he did already live with her. It's not like anything was different from normal, other than it was just him and Nora this time. Besides, he had the list Ren left him; he'd be fine. Speaking of the list…

He plucked the paper from his pocket, unfolding it to check the contents. The page was actually far sparser than he'd expected it to be. Of course, the first thing it had to say…

 _1\. Go along with whatever she says/suggests. Only attempt to stop the truly outrageous._

 _2\. Don't question anything that seems odd. It's safer for your sanity if you don't._

Jaune didn't even register a slight sting as his palm met his forehead. "Thanks a lot for that one. Could have told me that before you left, Ren." It came as more of a grumble than anything. He glanced at the next one.

 _3\. Try to stop her from eating too much sugar. If she mentions her 'secret stash,' just try to make sure she doesn't eat the whole thing herself._

Jaune read and re-read that one a few times, just to make sure he'd read it correctly. He felt his eye twitch only once. He wasn't sure if it was in disbelief or shock. "I thought she said... How the hell did he...?" He was beginning to wonder if his teammate's Semblance was Clairvoyance. Considering what the list had given him already, it would not be an invalid inclination. Definitely something worth verifying when Ren arrived back. What else was on this list?

Any further perusal of said list was interrupted by rather loud boom of something big hitting the floor behind him. He was fairly certain both he and the furniture bounced at least a few inches in to the air. He turned to find Nora back again, along with a rather large steamer trunk. It was beautifully crafted from cedar, with a dark, rich finish, and three padlocks adorning the front. Jaune felt himself go a bit slack at the site. "Nora…?"

"Yes Jauney?" She was busy hooking up a television monitor and disc player…Where the hell had she even gotten those from?! He reigned in his thoughts. He had to remember what the list said; best not to ask questions to things like that. That way laid madness.

"Please tell me that isn't your secret stash…?" He could already feel the sugar rush, and the chest had yet to be opened.

"Of course it is!" She was in front of him in an instant. Personal space simply disappeared. She held a finger to her lips. "Just don't let Renny know about it. It's all very hush hush, got it?" She even went as far as to glance back and forth, as if expecting her partner to show up out of the blue despite his previous departure. He briefly wondered if he should tell her that Ren already seemed to know about it, but thought better of it.

"Got it. Don't tell Ren." He went cross-eyed as an extended pinkie finger was held out.

"Promise?" He had to admit, Nora was adorable when she tried to be serious. He wrapped her pinkie with his own.

"Promise." He smiled. "An Arc never goes back on his word, after all."

"Great!" She was all smiles and sunshine again, with a certain gleam in her eyes. "Just make sure you don't, or I'll break your legs!" Jaune felt the drop of sweat roll down his brow. Somehow, that was exactly the response he'd expected. He really didn't doubt that she wouldn't either. A knock at their door brought them both around to stare at the open entrance. The entirety of Team RWBY was there, pillows, pajamas, and blankets in hand for each. Ruby and Weiss wore a slight blush, Blake raised a brow, and Yang gave a waggle of her eyebrows.

Yang was the one who spoke up. "We're not interrupting anything, are we?" She smirked. "Dad's away, so the kids are gonna play, right? Should we give you two some privacy?"

Jaune could only suppress a part of the groan he made. His palm dragged down his face. "This is what I'm going to be putting with all night, isn't it?" He leveled a half annoyed, half playful glare at his fellow blonde. "Please tell me you have an off button."

"If she did, then I would have found it by now." Blake gave her partner a sideways smirk. "I'm surprised you haven't found it yet, given how often you two go out."

"Aww, Blakey, are you jealous?" Yang wrapped her arms around Blake's shoulders, laying her head sideways to look up at her friend. "I mean, I know I'm quite the catch, but I never knew you cared that much. Don't you worry your pretty little head; nobody's going to take me from you." Blake's response was to simply keep the smirk and roll her eyes.

Yang's eyes turned back to the front again. "Then again, with a view like this, I could be tempted…" Her eyes travelled down and up Jaune's form. "Hmm, Yang likey." She even gave a little purr. It didn't take much to make Jaune look back down. How he'd forgotten that his shirt was in hand rather than on torso was beyond him, but he had. He glanced back up at all of the other room occupants, finding himself feeling very much like a piece of meat set for inspection. Save for Nora doing her own thing, four of five sets of eyes were definitely not staring at his face.

'Huh. I wonder if this is how girls feel when you stare at their breasts?' He shrugged off the thought for later perusal. "Take a picture, it will last longer." Two clicks went off immediately, courtesy of Yang and Blake. He felt his eyebrow twitch again. He should have known. Ruby simply blushed and looked toward the ground.

Weiss was the only one to give a vocal reaction. "Put on your shirt, you shameless cad! There are ladies present!"

"And yet you're the only one complaining, Weiss-cream," Yang snickered. "It's not like anyone else is saying anything. Not even Ruby." She and everyone else missed the darkening of her sister's cheeks, and the discreet little glances that she sent in Jaune's direction.

"What about Nora?! Surely she has something to say!" Weiss really could be relentless.

"But we live together," Nora spoke up, working the lock of the massive chest she'd brought back. "I see him like this all the time. What's the big deal?" Weiss simply couldn't find a response for that. Even more, she realized that she wasn't going to get any support from any of her friends on this, so instead she settled for crossing her arms and looking away.

Jaune felt the bead of sweat drip down his brow. "O... kay then. Consider the matter dropped." He rubbed the back of his neck, suddenly feeling rather awkward, for some reason. "If that's the end of that, nobody will mind if I head for a shower, right?" A few headshakes were all he got. "I didn't think so," he muttered, grabbing his things and a fresh change of clothes; a t-shirt and shorts, since he was pretty sure his onesie wasn't going to fit at this point. He exited the dorm room without incident as Nora threw open the lid to her stash. He heard excited exclamations from Ruby behind him. He completely missed Yang's eyes on him as he made his exit.

He ran into a few people on his way to the dorm bathroom, guys doing double takes and girls watching him walk past with a blush. He glanced at all of them, his eyebrow raising just enough. He'd had shirtless walks to the shower before. He never got responses like these from anyone. He slipped into the washroom, stopping before a long row of sinks and the mirror behind them. He hadn't bothered to take a good look while in the room. Seems that his growth spurt had a change more noticeable than just his distance from the floor.

Constant training had given him some vivid definition before. Now he was pretty sure his body was built tougher than Crocea Mors. He had grown proportionately, keeping much of the same shape, but his skin pulled firmly over his frame; muscles stood out more vividly than they had. He flexed an arm and poked his flexed arm and shoulder. There was no give. He was tempted to flick the skin, just to see if there would be a 'tink' from the bicep below. He pressed at his abs and got much of the same. He did not stay long to admire himself, slipping into the alcove for the showers.

Rushing water sprang to life with the creak of metal knobs. Steam filled an opulently clean stall as the water stream heated to the perfect temperature over his hand. Taking the hand from the stream, he shook the water off, giving a light hum as he did a little stretch and turn. He was rewarded with several cracks for his effort.

"That sounded like it felt pretty good." To Jaune's credit, he only gave a small start at the voice.

"Yang?" He turned to the stall door, indeed finding the blonde brawler standing there, wearing only a smirk. She'd shut the door behind her, holding her hands over her breasts and crotch. Jaune felt his throat and his words dry. Yang seemed to think it was cute, given her chuckling.

"Struck speechless at the mere sight of my sexiness." She gave a satisfied nod, stepping forward with her hand moving to her chin. "As it should be." She stepped up until her front was pressing against his own. Jaune couldn't help but notice the wonderful things such a move did to her chest. He met her eyes as she looked up at his. She was wearing that damnable smirk again. He idly noticed her hands at his shoulders. "Feel up for a little fun, Lady Killer?"

Jaune blinked at the suggestion. "Here?" He hadn't expected Yang to approach him at school for this, and certainly not in the dorm showers. Not that he would refuse, but… "This is a bit of a surprise, Yang. I mean, I wasn't sure if you wanted to keep what we were doing for everyone else or not, but this seems kind of bold, even for you." He noticed her brow twitch and the minute slackening at the corner of her lips. He scratched a cheek. She didn't seem angry, but he would be careful. "Not that I would say no, but… Yang, are you feeling okay? Have you been feeling okay?"

It was slow, but the smirk on Yang's face did leave it. She looked away from his eyes, staring silently at his chest. He saw the tiny movements of her eyes as her thoughts reigned. "I…" Before long, her eyelids lowered and she leaned her head forward against him. He almost thought he'd imagined the next words he heard. "I feel awesome."

Once again Jaune blinked. Her actions and her words didn't match. "Beg your pardon…?"

"I said I feel awesome." She lifted her head. He was surprised by the look in her eyes, like she was glad to be here, and yet uncomfortable with the fact. "And it's your fault." He was not prepared for the shove that she gave him. His back smacked into the green tile, water drenching his hair and jeans. He felt a pressure as his head cracked off the wall. Still no pain to be had. Yang was there an instant later, pressing up against him, her own hair weighted down by water.

Jaune felt confusion for a brief second before he looked down at her. He felt the tender touch of lips at his chest, laying small pecks at his sternum. The confusion came back quickly, as the look and shove he just received definitely meant something different than the little kisses she was giving. "Yang, what the hell?" Yang stopped her little kisses and smirked at him again. There was that look; happy to be here, but somehow uncomfortable.

"What's the matter Jaune?" Hands tickled his sides on their journey to his waist. She grabbed the beltline of his jeans, biting at her bottom lip. "Naked girl jumping you in the shower; seems like something you'd be used to, given what you told me." She pulled at his pants, gently lowering them to rest on his hips. "Don't you want to play with me?"

He did. He really, really did. Something was stopping him; a niggling in the back of his skull that wouldn't leave him. A niggling saying something was bothering Yang with the situation, that she was uncomfortable. If that was indeed the case, he would not act. At least, not in the way she was perhaps thinking. Jaune placed his hands on Yang's shoulders, gently pressing her away to a tiled seat built into the wall of the shower. Now it was Yang's turn to be confused. He sat next to her, ignoring the spray of the water before them to look at her. "Jaune?" He didn't speak for a moment, his eyes searching. Yang almost started to squirm under his scrutiny before he spoke.

"Yang, what's wrong?" The blink she gave was a clear indication that was not as she'd expected. She tried to laugh it off, giving a light chuckle.

"What makes you think something's wrong?" She pulled her hair into her arms, combing now wet strands with her fingers. She continued to wear that same smirk. "I just thought you'd be up for a little fun, Lady Killer."

Jaune stared silently for a moment, but Yang just continued to smile. He let a small sigh escape his lips as he leaned back against the wall. "I just want to make sure. I can't seem to shake the feeling that something is off with you, but I don't want to upset you, or make you uncomfortable." He missed the fact that her grin slipped away as she stared at him. He let out a chuckle. "You know, I think I said the same thing when I was drunk off my ass last week." He turned to Yang and grinned. "Doesn't mean I don't mean it though. If there is something making you uncomfortable, I'd like you to tell me." He cocked his head lightly to the side. "After all, isn't that what friends are for?"

Yang just looked at him for several moments as he continued to smile. She looked away from him, eye obscured as she continued to gently tug at her hair, going somewhat slower. Jaune was about to reach for her shoulder when she spoke up. "Jaune..." It seemed tentative, but she kept going. "If I asked you a question, you'd tell me the truth, right?"

Okay, now Jaune could say he was more than a little confused, but he'd go along with it. "Yeah, of course."

"Promise me, Jaune." He blinked again at her tone. She sounded more serious than he ever thought he'd heard her before. What little smile he'd been wearing dropped. Just what was going on?

"I promise." Yang glanced back at her current shower buddy. He looked confused, but concerned. "Yang, what's wrong?" He'd obviously never been witness to her acting like this. Something obviously had to be wrong for her to act as such. Letting out a quiet sigh of inevitability, she turned to face a worrying blond knight.

"Jaune, when we had sex before, did…" She hesitated for a brief second. "…did you do something to me?"

"Haa…" The worry he'd felt slipped away, making way for further bemusement. "What do you mean? I did quite a few things, as I recall." Yang blinked at his answer, and he blinked back. She snorted after a few seconds and started to chuckle. He was still confused, but glad to see she was smiling now. Frowning and worrying did her no favors in his mind.

"Not all of that. I mean, don't get me wrong, all of that just felt SO good…" She stopped as she bit her lip. It was first for him, actually seeing Yang blush like that. He wondered if maybe he was seeing things, or if it was caused by the heat from the shower. "But did you do something to my Aura?"

"Your Aura?" More blinking on his behalf. He let out a nervous laugh. "Yang, I barely know what to do with my own Aura, let alone someone else's. Ren's been giving me some tips on manipulation, but that's about it." He scratched the back of his head, leaning forward some. "What makes you think I did something though?"

"Because something odd happened, and I'm pretty sure it's connected to you." She stopped playing with her hair to point. "Take a look." She was pointing towards her crotch. Jaune raised a brow, jaw somewhat slack.

"Uh…?" Yang rolled her eyes and gave a deadpan look.

"I mean look at the skin right here, silly boy." She tapped her finger to a spot below her navel. "Take a very close look." Her voice almost sounded agitated. It was punctuated by her grasping his head and pushing him down towards her waist. She stopped him several inches above her skin, another hand still pointing towards the same spot. "See anything you recognize, Lady Killer?"

He didn't. At least, it wasn't anything he hadn't seen before. He tried to lift his head, but Yang held him firm. "Yang, what the hell? There's nothing..." His words trailed when he did notice something; it was so close to her skin tone that he'd missed it. The fact that it sparkled was the only reason he managed to see it. That, and the fact that the skin was somewhat raised. It almost looked like a tattoo. "Yang...why is that on you?"

"Oh, I thought it would be fashionable!" You could almost choke on the sarcasm in her voice. She let go of his head. He didn't rise too from his position, still looking at her stomach. "It's your crest, Lady Killer. You tell me how it got there."

It was indeed his crest. It matched the mark on his shield perfectly. The Arc family crest rested just below Yang's navel, right over where her womb would be. It barely stood out against her skin, sparkling pale gold in the shower light. Jaune stared at it, mouth slightly agape, for several moments before he looked back up at Yang. She looked like she wanted an answer. "Yang…I don't…" He looked back at the marking. "I have no idea…" He slowly reached for it. "Does… It doesn't hurt, does it?" He was surprised when Yang's hand clamped down on his wrist. He looked up at her, to see her scowl gone, now questioning.

"You really don't know, do you?" Her shoulders slumped as he shook his head. A sigh. "Well, so much for that. I'd hoped you would." He still wore a look of concern. "Don't worry Jaune; it doesn't hurt at all. In fact, I said it before; I feel awesome, and it's your fault."

"Wait, this is what you were talking about?"

"Yep," she said with a pop. She let go of his wrist. "Go ahead. Touch it."

Jaune blinked once, looking back at the mark. He placed tentative fingers on Yang's skin. Imagine his surprise at the crest began to glow, radiating warmth beneath his hand. Further surprise came as a groan of pleasure from Yang reached his ears. He glanced up at her, meeting her gaze. Her chest heaved with panting breaths, eyes shining naughty desire. He felt his soaked jeans become much more confining.

"Whatever it is, it's really sensitive." Yang's hands found their way to Jaune's on her body. She dragged it until his palm covered the crest. It almost burned under his skin. "Ever since last week, everything just feels so much different; I feel lighter, like I'm walking on air. The air is fresher; food tastes better…" She smiled at him, lightly flushed. He felt his heart skip a beat. "And when I'm around you, it all just seems to get even better." She squirmed in her seat, biting at her lip. She grabbed and pulled on his arm until they were face to face. He felt her breath on his lips. He couldn't stop himself.

Yang gave a muted groan when their lips met, an almost numbing tingling spreading through to her cheeks. She felt her nipples harden immediately, a moistness between her legs. She felt the muscles under the hand at her abdomen gently clench and relax. It was wonderful. Jaune's hand left her body for the wall over her head, supporting himself.

They parted, Yang looking up as he towered over her seated self. Nora had been right; he was bigger. Muscles twitched under glistening wet skin, chest and abs rising and falling before her eyes. She reached out to him. He felt like stone wrapped in skin and gently warmed by the sun. Her hands slipped from his belly to his hips, grasping a thin leather belt. It almost looked he'd been poured into his jeans, they clung so tightly to his legs. She eyed the bulge at his crotch, giving a satisfied giggle as she undid his buckle.

* * *

It was the gentle chirping of birds that first reached his ears. The grogginess of sleep was a clingy mistress, unwilling to let him go, while he was a tad reluctant to allow her to escape him. The incessant chirping would just not stop though. He groaned, realizing this was how Ren must feel when he wanted to sleep in. His bed was like a lover, wrapping him up all nice and comfy. They were meant to be together. Those birds were being jealous bitches though, wanting them to part.

Considering it wasn't likely he could forcibly make the feathered pests be quiet, he supposed it was time to get up. Lips smacked as he yawned. He briefly wondered why his teeth itched, until the previous night came floating back to him. Sleepover, movies, and so much sugar. He finally took note of the light throbbing in his skull. Too much sugar.

After the little escapade in the shower with Yang, they'd returned (separately) to a full video set up. The others had washed and changed into their sleepwear in their absence and settled in. Sleeping bags laid out and Nora's Candy Chest fully unfolded (truly massive thing it was), they'd settled in for a movie. How Weiss had never seen The Princess Bride was beyond all of them. Ruby slowly worked through Nora's supply of cookies while they all powered into so many sugary treats.

By the second movie, Jaune had consumed enough sugar that he was fairly certain he was starting to vibrate. Maybe getting up to sing the movie songs had been too much. He was pleasantly surprised when Blake joined him in singing along for a few of them; they'd both received light applause, even from Weiss, before taking a bow. The night had devolved into karaoke from there, fueled by more sugar. Dammit Nora.

A weight settled itself on Jaune's midsection making him open his eyes and blink, looking down toward his covers to see a large lump. He blinked again before throwing them back. There was a Nora in his bed. She looked up at him from her hunkered down position at his stomach, excited mischief smiling in her eyes. He really should have realized he needed to move when her hips lifted and did the equivalent of a cat's butt wiggle, but he didn't. Instead, he lost a breath as she pounced and landed on his chest.

"Wake up, lazy bones!" She was up then, sitting on his stomach and shaking his shoulders. "C'mon Jauney, the day's wasting away." He didn't immediately respond, if only for the shaking. Of course, despite an already awake state, she shook him a bit more for lack of response. "Jauney, c'mon, it's time for breakfast!"

Jaune managed to gather his wits enough to speak. "Nora!" And like that, the shaking stopped.

"Yes Jauney?"

"I'm...awake..." He also felt a little sick, but that was dissipating quickly. He sat up, Nora sliding down into his lap. He leveled a sleepy stare at his teammate. She grinned and giggled up at him, wiggling in her seat. How could she be so peppy so early? He pointed a finger at her nose. "Don't do that again, please."

She giggled again. "Sorry Jauney! I booped you a few times, but you didn't wake up." She grinned wider. "So, I had to take drastic measures!"

He blinked again. He couldn't really feel anger at his bubbly friend. He just ran a hand down his face, wiping away the sleepiness. "Just don't shake me as hard next time."

She saluted him. "Yes sir, Jauney, sir!" She cocked her head, still smiling. "Jauney, do you sleep with a flashlight in bed?"

Well that was an out of the blue question. "No...?" he said unsure, eyebrow raised.

"Oh." She said, looking down and wiggling again. Jaune's other eyebrow shot up as something of his shifted beneath her. "Then what's poking me?"

"Never mind that!" he half shouted nervously. He did not need to explain that to her, and definitely did not need her telling Ren. "You said breakfast before, right? Let me have a shower and we can head to the cafeteria, alright?"

"Okey dokey!" And just like that, she was off and bouncing on Ren's bed, while he was up and grabbing his things. "Don't take too long though! You were in there forever last night!" He could only let out a nervous laugh as he practically ran out the door. A quick wash for him, and they were off towards Beacon's cafeteria. Nora skipped merrily ahead of Jaune, while he walked slowly behind, looking over the list left by Ren.

 _4\. Pancakes for breakfast. This is NOT negotiable, and they must be scratch made. Tell the cafeteria cooks you're there to feed Nora, and they should let you in._

Jaune ran a hand over his face. That certainly explained why Ren never showed up immediately for breakfast. It also explained the foot tall, syrup and butter soaked plate of pancakes he always had for Nora. How the hell did he get permission to do that? Had he missed something? He must have. He let out a quiet sigh. He was a decent cook, at least according to his family. They certainly never complained. Hell, given some of their reactions, he was fairly certain they'd needed a change of underwear and a cigarette the last time they ate his cooking. Then again, Ren had probably gotten the science of Nora's taste-buds down to a tee. Jaune wasn't sure he could match up. Perhaps he might be able to convince Nora of something else for breakfast? He looked back at the list. That previous question died screaming.

 _4B. If you're thinking that you might be able to convince Nora of something else for breakfast, then prepare your will. She will not bow on this, and I've seen better men than you try._

'…How the bloody hell did he…?' Well, there went that idea. Another quiet sigh and palm to the face. Okay then, off to the kitchen it was then. The list was put away. To his credit, he didn't jump too high in the air when he found Nora standing before him again. When did she…?

"What'cha reading, Jauney?" He blinked, but then gave a grin. He patted her on the head as they walked.

"Just a letter from a friend." It wasn't technically a lie. Wasn't like she needed to know that Ren had been giving him some advice on how to take care of her.

"Oooohh," Nora said. The look she wore could have been called sly on pretty much anyone. "Is it from a pretty girl?" Jaune chuckled at that one. Ren was pretty, sure, but he definitely wasn't a girl. Nora took his chuckle to mean something different though. "Oh my! It is, isn't it!" She grabbed his arm, jumping up and down like an excited kid. "Is it someone I know? Oh, oh, is it from Yang?!"

Now that made Jaune pause for a second. Still walking, he looked over at Nora. "What makes you think it's from Yang?"

"Weeeellll…" He would almost call the look on her face cattish. "You two do spend an awful lot of time together. The only other girl I've seen you spend more time with is Pyrrha! And me, of course!" She grinned sly again. "So, it's not from Yang then?"

"No, Nora."

"Then who's it from? What does it say? Was it a love confession?" Jaune laughed out loud at the last question. Nora cocked her head. "What's so funny?"

"Sorry," he said, his laughter dying down to chuckles. "I didn't mean to laugh." He smiled and looked at Nora on his arm. "It's not a love confession. Even it was, I think I'd rather get one from a pretty girl like you, Nora, rather than the one who sent me this letter." He turned back ahead, cafeteria in sight. It was only after a minute that he realized it was quiet. Nora was quiet. He looked back at her. She was staring wide eyed up at him, her cheeks slightly pink. "Nora?"

"Uh…" Now that was something he'd yet to see: Nora at a loss for words. Did he say something odd? "Sorry Jauney." They'd arrived at the cafeteria doors. She let go of him. "Hey, you're making me pancakes, right? Get to it! I'll see you at the table!" And just like that, she skipped off, leaving him to stare after her from the kitchen door. He shrugged after a moment and stepped through the door.

He was met by the immediately hustle and bustle of busy chefs, dancing to the chorus of clanging dishes and utensils. The aroma of cooking food graced his nostrils. Bacon and sausage sizzled on the griddle alongside batches of fluffy scrambled eggs, bowls of neatly cut fruit set on trays set aside to be served. He looked back and forth, looking for a place he was to work as the other white dressed employees worked around him.

"Oi, kid!" His attention came forward as he was approached by one of the chefs. He was what some would call unassuming, brown hair tied into a ponytail, a light tan to the skin, and a scruffy, but well-maintained goatee along his chin and jawline. The amber of his eyes left little argument that he was the one in charge in this kitchen. Despite that, he looked almost bored. "If you're not aware, the cafeteria is out there." He raised a brow. "Unless you've got a reason for barging into my kitchen?"

"Ah…" Jaune was suddenly very aware of every eye on him, and that activity in the kitchen had come to a quick halt. He suddenly thought himself very foolish, but Ren wouldn't leave him looking like an idiot. He hoped not, anyway. "I'm here to feed Nora Valkyrie?"

The man before him looked him in the eye for a minute. Jaune was certain he felt a bead of sweat roll down his face. And then his opponent in this staring contest laughed long and hard, along with the rest of the chefs present. "Then you've got your work cut out for you kid." The man slapped Jaune on the back, leading him forward. "So, you must be her Team Leader then. From what your teammate tells me, you seem like a good kid. Hope your cooking skills are up to snuff." Jaune didn't even get a word in edgewise as he was led to a griddle off to the side. Every possible ingredient and tool he might need for pancakes and other foods were well within reach. "Here you are kid. Try not to make too much of a mess, and holler if you need anything." And just like that, he was off and the kitchen was back to work again.

Jaune watched the man go with only a few blinks before turning back forward. Huh, that was easy. Ren hadn't been pulling his leg. Okay then, onto the task at hand. Pancakes for Nora. He hadn't actually cooked for a while, but given how easy these were, he could make them in his sleep if he needed. Reaching out for flour and other ingredients, he began going through the motions of preparation, yet his mind set itself adrift to the previous night. His rendezvous with Yang. That marking…

Why was his family crest on Yang's body? He certainly hadn't put it there. If he had, then he had no recollection of it, or it wasn't intentional. It made no sense to him. Further, it reacted under his touch; the glow could only be because he had touched her. Yes, the two of them were intimate, but surely that couldn't have been the case. He was fairly certain she wasn't going to be the last woman he slept with, but Yang definitely hadn't been the first. None of his previous partners had ever developed anything like that. What made Yang different?

He reached for a bag off to the side of the pancake ingredients, pouring it over the mixing bowl before stirring it into the thick batter. The hand not stirring greased butter across the warming griddle as thoughts continued. Surely it wasn't because she was a going to be a Huntress? Some of his partners had been Huntresses already. He'd never seen the mark on any of them either. They always came back for more, and always long sessions with him. He couldn't help a giggle as he thought about it. He poured out several large pancakes, reaching for more ingredients. They'd been some of the few to keep up with him too. He grinned, whisking batter and checking the griddle. It must have been their Aura. It was so damn useful. 'Wish I'd had mine unlocked…sooner…'

Jaune's whisking slowed to a stop, eyes wide. Aura. His Aura. That's what was different. His Aura was active. It hadn't been before Beacon. His family wouldn't do it. Wouldn't give him any training to fight either. He didn't even really have an explanation of what Aura was, until Pyrrha had told him about it. They knew for the longest time he wanted to be a Huntsman. They all had active Aura. Every time he'd brought it up, they'd just said he wouldn't need it. It had confused the hell out of him. All they said was be himself, and find a pretty girl to talk to and become his partner.

He'd definitely done the last one. He couldn't ask for a partner prettier than Pyrrha. Hell, save for Ren (who was still damn pretty), he'd been surrounded by beautiful women since getting here. Even with the randomness of the assignments in initiation, he could have had his pick of pretty. He couldn't stop the light blush to his cheeks. Pyrrha took the cake though, and spread on the icing. She had told him otherwise though. He needed his Aura to be a Huntsman. It was his protection. It was his power. She activated it for him. It'd been warm… Her soul had been really warm.

Jaune shook his head, getting rid of the fuzziness brought by his thoughts. Yang's mark had to be because his Aura was active. He flipped several fluffy pancakes onto a plate nearby, pouring more onto the griddle, while reaching for blueberries, a red jar labeled 'Forever Fall Maple Sap,' sugar, and several other things. He threw a pot on the stove, mixing everything he gathered without even looking. Several impressed chefs watched on as he woolgathered. Pyrrha had told him about Semblances. Did this mark have something to do with that? Had his parents known that something like this would happen? If so, why not tell him about it? For all he knew, that mark could mean really serious trouble for his friend.

But then…Yang had told him how she felt. It wasn't hurting her. In fact, based on what she told him, she felt better than ever, and then only even better when she was around him. Okay, so it had glowed a bit when he touched it, but she wasn't in pain. Perhaps it was a good thing he did, and the mark only showed a connection? He shook his head again, dispelling more candy floss. If it wasn't hurting Yang, then it could wait for now. He'd think about it more later. He flipped the last of the pancakes onto another plate, about half the size of the tall, steaming stack he'd already piled up. The heat turned off the bubbling pot of purple he'd mixed. He picked it up to stir, adding a few last touches as it rapidly cooled. He had a Valkyrie to feed.

* * *

"Okay, please tell me I'm not the only one who's freaked out right now."

Yang was definitely not the only freaked out member of Team RWBY. They all sat at the end of their normal table, staring off toward the other end like it was haunted. They weren't the only ones either. All around them, students stared at the same spot as they ate, whispers of conversation passing through the air. What could possibly have so many students shocked and more than a little afraid?

Nora Valkyrie. Sitting quite still. Very quietly.

Nora was never quiet. At least, not like this. She was staring blankly ahead, head in hand and giving a quiet sigh. Nora did not do something like this normally. To actually see it was surreal. And more than a bit scary.

"Nope," Ruby quipped with a pop. "I've never seen Nora be this quiet before. It's…kinda creepy." She held her hands out open palm to her ginger friend. "I mean, she usually at least hums, or something!"

"It is…rather odd," Blake ventured, her book on the table while she looked on in wonder. "Do you think something happened after we left her and Jaune alone?"

"I highly doubt it," Weiss said, watching the silent Valkyrie with an inquisitive eye. "A cad he may be, but Arc at least acts like a gentleman; he isn't one to do something untoward to a lady."

'At least not knowingly,' Yang thought, her mind flitting briefly to the mark at her womb. Whether or not it was a bad thing had yet to be seen. Only seemed to be good things so far. Eh, she'd think about it later. "Now that's something coming from you, Weiss-cream. Especially considering that little warning you gave him before the slumber party last night."

Weiss let out a quiet snort, taking a bite of food but keeping Nora in sight. "Despite his attitude and manners, he is still a man. With so many of the opposite gender around, you can never be too careful with where their minds might wander."

"You do realize you basically contradicted yourself and Jaune's character all in the same statement, right?" Blake glanced back at the heiress as she spoke.

"Regardless," Weiss said, wiping her mouth. "Given what we've seen, I highly doubt that Arc is the type that would attempt anything lascivious towards an unwilling partner."

"Anything what?" Ah, poor Ruby. Weiss was using big words again.

"I'll tell you when you're older, sis."

"Right… Well then, what do you think happened?" Ruby scratched her head. "I mean I've never seen Nora be this quiet before. She's not even like this for Ren!" Out of her eye, Yang caught sight of a familiar head of blond hair.

"Well, you can just ask him yourself. Here he comes." Her eye brows rose high. "Jeez, that's a huge stack of pancakes…"

At the word 'pancakes,' Nora perked up and turned in the direction Yang was looking, along with the others. She wasn't kidding. He was balancing a plate of pancakes stacked at least a foot and half tall. He had a second one balanced on the same forearm about a third of its size. He had a little grin on his face. He didn't even seem to notice the eyes of all the other students watching him.

Nora watched the tall stack with a sparkle in her eye and drool at her lips. Any evidence of her previous melancholy was long gone as Team RWBY looked on. Jaune set the huge stack before Nora and then what could only be his own plate beside her. "Sorry it took so long." Nora turned sparkly eyes towards her leader. He was still grinning a little, rubbing a hand behind his head nervously. "I got a little caught up thinking."

RWBY almost goggled as Nora's cheeks became a bit pink, but she grinned anyway. "That's okay!" She looked over the fresh baked tower before her. "What about the syrup?" She turned a pout on him. "Jauney, you can't have pancakes without syrup!"

"Sorry, sorry!" He quickly placated the Valkyrie, holding up a rather large pitcher. Four eyebrows raised at the deep red liquid in the clear glass. They would have sworn that the thing was filled with blood. "I made it from scratch. It needed a little time to thicken." Four looks of surprise, and one look of astonishment. Nora looked ready to bounce out of her seat. There was almost a waterfall of drool by now.

"Renny never makes homemade syrup!" Her volume increased with her excitement. Many people around were watching. Jaune took the large pitcher and held it over the stack. Nora's eyes were sparkles as long rivulets of sticky red goodness drizzled down over fluffy perfection. Only after covering the stack did Jaune stop pouring.

"Enjoy," he said with a grin. Nora stared up the pancakes, bouncing enough to shake the table. Jaune took his seat next to her, pouring bloody red syrup over his own smaller stack as she speared an entire cake on her fork. It disappeared a moment later, her cheeks stuffed like a chipmunk with a nut as she chewed. It was only another moment later when Nora twitched and her eyes shot open to the size of her plate. The bulge in her cheeks disappeared with a swallow. Team RWBY watched as her eyes closed and her mouth opened slightly.

Just as Jaune took his first bite of his own small stack, Nora twitched and let out a moan that nobody would ever think to call innocent. Heads turned and blushes blossomed across the floor. Team RWBY had varied reactions, from Blake's book hand smacking into the table, to the visible twitch of Weiss' eyebrow. They both flushed, but even they couldn't match the depth and luster of Ruby's face as it filled up with blood.

Yang didn't move. In fact, the most she did was blink a bit. Well, she certainly hadn't expected that. "So GOOD!" And then she blinked some more when Nora hugged Jaune in the middle of his own bite. She was certain she heard him choke and a rib crack.

"N-Nora… please stop…!"

"But these pancakes just taste so good!" She was bouncing again. Yang felt the table shake. "I mean, Renny's are still the best, but still, you did awesome!" Her eyes were stars. "And the syrup!" She grabbed him by the shoulders and started shaking him. "How did you make something so tasty?! Tell me! Tell your queen!"

"I'm! Glad! You! Like! Them!" Every word was emphasized by a shake. "Please! Stop! The! Pancakes! Will! Get! Cold!" And just like that, she let go, and Jaune nearly flew out of his seat.

"You're right! What was I thinking?!" And just like that, Nora speared another cake and it disappeared. Anybody watching would notice that she was taking more time to chew than usual. Jaune took the moment to stable himself, shaking his head a bit. He didn't notice that Yang had sidled up right beside him until she had spoken.

"I'll have what she's having." Yang was pretty sure Jaune had whiplash with how fast his head spun to her. "Hey there, Lady Killer." She gave him a sly grin. "You gonna tell me what you did to those pancakes?"

Jaune almost looked offended that she would suggest such a thing. "Nothing. They're just normal pancakes." Yang just gave him a look. "Seriously! They're just normal chocolate chip pancakes and homemade syrup!" He took another bite as the rest of Team RWBY slid towards them. "Granted I was a bit distracted so they're not my best, but still-"

"Chocolate chip?!" And just like that, there was Ruby. "Can I try them?! Can I?! Can I?! Please?!"

"I'm not sure that's great idea..." Weiss trailed, watching Nora reach a third of the way through her stack. That in and of itself was odd. Usually she would be done by now.

"It was an odd reaction." Blake also watched the Valkyrie with fascination. Why on Remnant was Nora blushing?

"Seriously? Why would I-!" Jaune cut himself off with a palm to the face. "You know what, never mind. Ruby, yes, you're more than welcome to try them." He looked the others as Ruby gave an excited squeal. "Well? Would you all like a bite?"

Glances were shared as four forks made to cut into the cakes before him. Yang blinked when he just held out his own fork to her, then grinning at the offered treat. "Very bold move, Lady Killer. Going for an indirect kiss there?"

Jaune's look went flat, even as Yang smirked. "Just eat it, Yang."

"Oh, all right," she said in a ho-hum voice. She rolled her eyes as her lips latched onto the offered taste, three others taking their own bites. They chewed, all of them, even Ruby, letting out a breath they hadn't known they'd been holding. Then the taste hit them.

Eyes widened as their bodies were stripped bare, a cascade of red leaves swirling in the wind through a grove of crimson trees around them. Tiny white petals dances with the leaves as they fell from bushes ripe with fattened blueberries. The smell of chocolate invaded their nostrils before the ground dropped from below them. They fell to a fluffy pancake cloud and bounced into a pool of cocoa goodness. Sweet cake and chocolate caressed their palates in richness, while tart, fruity sweetness sent a tingle through them and cleansed their taste buds. All of this from a single bite of food. They chewed and swallowed, each letting out a quiet moan of pleasure.

And just like that, they were all back at the cafeteria. Jaune was chewing another bite of food, and Nora was watching now with cheeks full of her breakfast. She had managed to work her way through another third of her massive stack. Yang was the first to recover. "What the hell was that, Lady Killer?!"

Jaune, about halfway through his own stack, raised a brow. "Uh… what do you mean?"

As Yang sputtered, Blake took over. "I think she's referring to the vision your food caused."

"A vision?" Jaune could only chuckle. "Seriously? They're just pancakes. Hell, they're not even my best."

"Then tell us where you learned to cook, Arc." Jaune raised a brow at the heiress. "Short of drugging the food, there's no way you could make something this good without professional schooling."

Yang raised a brow. "Did you just admit to liking Jaune's cooking?"

"Quiet you!"

"Hey, it was still a compliment. I'll take it," Jaune said with a grin. "Sorry to burst your bubble Snow Angel, but it was my dad who taught me how to cook."

Several brows raised. "Your father?"

"Yep. Not just him either. Everyone in my family is a pretty good cook." He shrugged. "If you're going to cook for yourself or others, you might as well be good at it." He took another bite, intercepting Ruby from taking another forkful from his plate. "Glad you like it though. They're not my best, but hey, they can't all be perfect." The four girls of Team RWBY all took a moment to process what he said. These weren't even his best, and nirvana had decided to visit their taste buds? If that was the case, what would something at his best be capable of?

None of them managed to ask the question as Nora jumped on Jaune and almost made them end up on the floor. He was the main squeeze in another back-breaking hug courtesy of his teammate. Yang raised a brow when she heard several cracks, but Jaune didn't even let out a single sound. "They were so good! Thanks, Jauney!"

"Glad…" he wheezed, "glad you liked them, Nora… Can't breathe." He barely got the words out before he found himself staring at the floor. He looked up at Nora's back from a fireman's carry. Nora looked back down at him with a familiar glint in her eye. He did not like that glint. "Nora…? What are you thinking…?"

"It's Saturday morning! Remember Jauney? Now that we've had breakfast, it's time for our morning spars!" And just like that, she took off towards the cafeteria doors. "To battle!" Then they were gone, with only Jaune's cries for mercy left in their wake.

RWBY blinked at the swinging cafeteria door, briefly glancing Nora rush by a window in the general direction of the combat arena. Ruby turned to the rest of her team. "Do you think we should stop them?"

"Whatever for?" Weiss asked, glancing at her nails. None of them had seen her dip her finger in the sticky remnants of syrup on Jaune's plate and lick the digit clean. "It's just a friendly spar between teammates. It's not like anyone will get hurt."

"And have any of us ever known Nora to hold back for anything…?" Ruby countered. Silence reigned at the table as the question processed. They all remembered that poor sap that was still in the hospital. None of them had known that the human anatomy could bend like that, let alone be inserted like it had.

"Perhaps…" Weiss ventured, "…it would be a good idea to keep an eye on them?"

"Yep! Team RWBY, attention!" Ruby was a little confused when she turned back to the table to see Yang missing. "Yang?" Blake pointed to the door, Yang already halfway out it. "YANG?! Wait for us!"

If Yang heard her sister, then she didn't acknowledge it. She was in hot pursuit of the Valkyrie and her hostage. Her mind was still on what she'd heard. He's had a little trouble breathing, but Jaune hadn't given any indication that he'd felt any pain at all when Nora hugged the breath out of him. She's seen that very same thing before. "Does he…?" she whispered to herself. She took off at a run.

* * *

 _5\. After breakfast, you'll be fighting the training robots in the Combat Arena. Shouldn't be too difficult. If Nora actually wants to fight you though, prepare your spine. After that, it's off to the gym for cardio and weights. Have fun._

'Thanks a lot Ren,' Jaune thought, slipping the list back into his pocket. Okay, so it wasn't guaranteed that he was going to die. The initial carry to the locker rooms had made him nervous enough to think he would. Nora had run like a woman possessed. He couldn't do more than enjoy the ride over her shoulder. It was with a tiny bit of shame that he'd enjoyed the view too; the difference in his and her size had put his face at about mid-thigh. 'Never would have pegged Nora for red lace…' he pondered, keying in the code for his locker and taking his breastplate from the pile of armor pieces. He strapped it on and tightened it, slipping the leather strap to its usual notch. He did the same for a shoulder piece and bracer. Only after the bracer was in place did he realize something was wrong.

They fit perfectly.

They shouldn't have. He'd grown half a foot in a week. His body had grown proportionately to the new height. He unhooked the breastplate and stared at it. Even before, the armor hadn't fit entirely right. It had been his great great grandfather's armor after all; likely it had been crafted to fit him personally.

He turned the piece of metal over and over again. He didn't know how it was possible, but it had definitely grown to fit him. He picked up another piece from the locker. This one had grown too. He would swear someone switched out the pieces, but he was the only one with his locker code. Unless his sense of touch was going wonky, he was pretty sure the pieces were warm. 'What...?'

"Jauney?" There was a mild heart attack that came with the word, but he didn't jump. Nora was there, cocking her head in question. Magnhild was already on her back. "Something wrong?" She actually looked a little worried.

"Uh...no." He grinned. "Nothing's wrong. Just noticed something odd with my armor." And just like that, the breastplate was no longer in his hands.

"Oooooo, really?! What is it? Is it heavier? Is the color scuffed?" Then she held it to her chest, and realization struck. "Oh wow, it's so warm! Oh, oh, can we use it to toast marshmallows?!"

Jaune couldn't help but snort a laugh. "Sure, but not when I need to wear it." He reached for the piece, only to have Nora hold it out of his reach. He grabbed for it again, she held it the opposite way. She just kept on grinning. This time he reached for both sides of her. She avoided by holding it behind her back. He just stared as she bounced in place on the balls of her feet, smiling and giggling. "Nora, can I please have my armor back?"

"Maybe..." She leaned forward, waggling her eyebrows. "What's it worth to you?"

"Another batch of pancakes?"

"Oh, you scoundrel, that's very tempting..." Jaune was sure he'd said the right thing. "Alas, no." That floored him. "I want something else."

A Nora that didn't want to be bribed with pancakes? Was the Apocalypse upon him? No, wait, he was still in one piece. This was happening, and he was at a loss for what to offer. He shook his head. He would probably regret this. "Uh, okay then. What do you want?"

Nora tapped her chin, thinking deep thoughts before looking at him. "Can you sit down?" Okay, nothing too outrageous so far. His butt hit the bench. "Close your eyes." And now he was worried. Close his eyes? He started to fear for his sanity a bit. Yet he still closed his peepers. What could she possibly want from him that-?

Thought became a distant notion when he felt soft pressure on his lips. A mild scent and taste made itself known; if he were to describe it, then he would have called it electric blueberries. A light tingle sparked the skin on his lips. This was... Jaune's eyes shot open, just as Nora leaned out of a chaste kiss. She giggled at the look on his face. What exactly had just happened?

"Thanks, Jauney. Here you go." He took the offered metal plate, still somewhat numb. "Now hurry up! We have SO many metal legs to break!" With that, Nora skipped off towards the combat arena, with Jaune just staring after her.

He sat in a shocked daze for several moments before he started to, rather woodenly, slip his armor in place. All pieces in place and Crocea Mors at his side, he was off to the arena. The shock still pervaded his system. Nora had kissed him. Nora. Kissed him. He shook his head to clear the insanity of the thought. It had actually happened though; he could still feel the blueberry tingling on his lips. It had come so far out of nowhere that it couldn't have existed before. Shock settled to bemusement as he touched his lips.

'Doesn't Nora have a thing for Ren?' It wasn't an invalid question, given their everyday interactions. Most of the time, Ren was the only one that managed to get Nora to listen. He knew they were childhood friends, but Jaune always had an inkling that they were more than that. Hell, everyone who knew them thought that the two were more than what they seemed. Had they all been wrong?

"Jauney?" And once again, a mild heart attack. There was Nora, staring at him again. He looked up. He was in front of the arena door. He hadn't even realized. "You seem to be doing a lot of thinking today. You sure nothing's wrong?" Wow, it was an odd experience to have Nora worry about him; he didn't think she ever worried about anything, really. She was always just so happy and bubbly.

He opened and closed his mouth a few times. "I'm fine..." He gestured toward the locker rooms. "Nora, why did-?" He didn't get to finish as Nora pushed at his back.

"Great! Now get your butt moving!" He couldn't see the evil grin as she pushed him toward the door. "We have property to damage!"

"Property to-? Wait a minute! Nora, knock it off!" Despite his shoes sliding along the floor, Nora pushed the would-be knight through the door. "I can walk myself! And we need to talk about what just happened!"

"Is this a private matter, Mister Arc, or is it something you'd like to share with the rest of us?" It was a stern female voice that made them both stop and look in its direction. Glynda Goodwitch was watching them both, her riding crop gently tapping against her open palm as she raised an eyebrow to them both. "Well, Mister Arc? I'm waiting."

Jaune gave a nervous laugh. Even for all of the strict women he'd dealt with before, this one still scared him. "No, Miss Goodwitch, ma'am!"

"Very good. Now," she said, turning away. Heels clicked toward the arena sidelines, an open scroll in hand. "You're here for Miss Valkyrie's standard rounds against the Battle Drones, correct?"

"Yes ma'am!" Nora popped up with a salute. Jaune only realized then that she wasn't behind him, and he fell on his ass. Glynda let out a sigh.

"Mister Arc, you're a Huntsman in training. Please try to have at least a little decorum." Considering how the rest of the students acted, he was sure that what she was saying was more habit than anything else. Glynda pushed a few keys on her scroll. "I assume you will be fighting alongside Miss Valkyrie, correct?"

"Of course!" Nora exclaimed before Jaune could say otherwise. "My Fearless Leader needs the training!" There was fire in her eyes, and some rather insane giggling. "We won't stop until he can lift five of himself!" Despite the deadpan look, Glynda still rolled her eyes. Meanwhile, Jaune contemplated his impending demise.

More buttons pressed. "Combat level?"

"Four, please." Almost the top difficulty level too. This will be the day an Arc dies.

"Very well." She looked at the two. "Take your positions, please." Nora skipped away, massive hammer in tow, while Jaune walked along, ready but prepared for pain. They took up positions in the center of the arena, standing back to back. Six Atlas built battle droids entered in from around the room, circling the pair with various armaments in hand.

"You can do it, Jaune!" Jaune blinked before looking up at the stands. Apparently, they had an audience. Team RWBY was there. Their leader looked excited, while the Ice Queen and Ninja were watching with calculating expressions. With Yang though, he was surprised by the Thousand Yard Stare that she was giving him. It almost looked like she was refusing to blink. It was a little disconcerting, but he turned back to the bots before him, silently thankful for Ruby's enthused endorsement. Hopefully it wouldn't be _too_ painful.

"Combatants ready?" Glynda asked from the sidelines. A gleeful smile and enthusiasm from Nora, and a hesitant nod from Jaune. An unseen grip tightened on his weapon. A satisfied nod from Glynda followed. "Be-!"

"Well, well, if it isn't Jauney Boy!" The glare that Glynda Goodwitch leveled on Cardin Winchester and his team as they walked through the doors on the opposite end of the arena would have made most wilt. Cardin did not though, if only because he hadn't noticed her yet. He seemed to only have eyes for Jaune. "How is my good buddy Jaune doing today?" He said it with a sneer. There was a chuckle from each of his teammates for that one. Jaune grit his teeth, feeling muscles twitch in aggravation. Nobody noticed his eyes flash from blue to emerald, and back again.

"Mr. Winchester!" Chuckles lost his sneer, and his cohorts shut up right quick. The over buff team leader watched the teacher with wide eyes as she marched up to the quartet. "Is there a reason that your team is, once again, intruding upon Team JNPR's practice sessions?" Cardin obviously didn't fear retribution from the teacher, or he wouldn't have shrugged. He certainly wouldn't have smirked.

"Sorry Professor." He certainly didn't sound sorry. "I had no idea they had a session scheduled for right now." Glynda narrowed her eyes, as did Nora. Considering that both of them had seen Cardin and his team repeatedly arrive to all of the sparring sessions for Nora and Ren, only to immediately leave, they both obviously knew better. Even more so, considering the scheduling of time in the arena was open to all who chose to sign up for it, and could therefore see other scheduled bouts. Nora glanced at her leader. He looked as agitated as she felt.

"Well now you know," he said, stepping forward towards his fellow leader. Cardin was actually a bit surprised to find Jaune didn't have to lift his head to look him in the eye. "So get the hell out." It was surprising that Glynda didn't at least admonish him for his language. Cardin only smirked though, holding up a piece of paper in Jaune's face. "What this?"

"Permission slip," Cardin quipped. "Special permission for Professor Ozpin saying my team and I have free reign over the arena right now."

Both Nora and Jaune bristled. Only Jaune responded. "Bullshit!"

"Mr. Arc, language," Glynda said, choosing to admonish this time. "Mr. Winchester, if I may?" Her tone brokered no argument as she took it from him.

"Hey! What's going on?!" Ruby was almost leaning over the audience railing.

"Cardin's trying to take over our fight time!" Nora yelled back.

"What?! Cardin, you big meanie!"

"I know, right?!"

"Well, he might just succeed," Glynda addressed Jaune and Nora. "It's a legitimate form, and it does indeed have Professor Ozpin's signature." Cardin's smirk couldn't have gotten any bigger if he had tried. Both Nora and Jaune looked ready to murder. Jaune even let out a growl. Nora cocked her hammer and stalked forward.

"I'll fight you all before I let you take this arena from us," Jaune said, grip tightening on his sword. Cardin actually managed the impossible as his smirk grew, along with those of his teammates.

"A splendid idea!" Everyone started at the voice, even Glynda. Turning to the door, several sets of eyes blinked as Ozpin himself walked toward them. He had his usual mug of coffee in hand, and a smile in place. "Although, fighting all of them at once is a bit drastic. Perhaps it would be best that you only face one of them."

A stunned silence fell across the group. Save for Glynda, who only raised a brow. "Professor Ozpin. This is a pleasant surprise. I had thought you had a busy morning today."

"It seems the documents that needed to be reviewed had less to them than I'd originally thought." He took another swig of coffee. "I had been enjoying a quiet moment when, much to my surprise, Team CRDL came bursting into my office to get my permission to use the arena." He turned to the team in question. Jaune noticed confusion, along with a healthy dose of panic, pass through the eyes of every member on the team. Yet Ozpin continued. "They were rather adamant about the issue." He turned to Jaune. "I had not personally been aware that the time had already been reserved, or perhaps I would have stayed my hand."

Jaune could almost feel Nora's enthusiasm deflating next to him. Glancing over, he wasn't sure if she was ready to cry, or if she was going to use her hammer on Ozpin. Neither was a good outcome, but dammit if his inaction would be what upset her. "All due respect, Professor, but Nora and I were here first."

"Indeed you were, Mr. Arc. However," he said, giving a small smile, "given that this is a combat school, I believe that your previous idea holds the best merit." Another sip of his coffee. "Glynda, I propose a spar between Mr. Arc and Mr. Winchester. The winner and their team will take the arena time, and the loser will have to vacate until a later time." He raised a brow to Jaune. "As long as those involved agree with the terms."

Jaune blinked, only to scowl again as he looked to Cardin. The confident smirk already spoke of an anticipated win. It was pretty clear what his answer was. Jaune felt a spike of irritation, another of many he'd been having recently. That alone was enough to make up Jaune's mind. He turned back to Ozpin. "Fine by me."

"Splendid. Glynda, prepare the system." The white-haired headmaster turned to the rest of the students present. "I suggest the rest of you take a seat." Russell, Dove, and Sky all beat a hasty retreat to the stands. He never took his eyes off of them as they moved. "Miss Valkyrie, you as well. This is to be Mr. Arc's bout." Nora did not move at first. He turned back to the young Huntress to see her staring at her team leader, who hefted his shield and sword as Cardin readied his mace. Ozpin raised a brow. "Is everything alright, Miss Valkyrie?"

"Huh?" Eloquent as usual. "Oh! Yes sir, your Headmasterness, sir!" Ozpin only let out a chuckle.

"Good. Then it would be best if you joined the rest of your friends in the stands." Nora hesitated for a moment before Jaune spoke up.

"Go ahead Nora. I've got this." She looked back to her team leader and his grinning face. "Win or lose though, I want you to break Cardin's legs when we finish." The malicious glee that appeared in her eyes at his words could not have been missed when she saluted him and ran off to the stands.

"You've got this, huh, Jauney Boy?" Cardin sneered, shouldering his weapon. "You haven't beaten me yet. What makes you think you're going to be able to do it this time?"

Another spike of irritation, another flash of green. A light hum reached his ears, but he knew not the origin. A warmth blossomed in his chest. He once again took a ready stance. "You know what Cardin? Either put up, or shut up." Cardin scowled. "You ready or not?"

"Oh, I'm going to enjoy beating you into the ground."

Off to the side, Glynda typed in the last needed commands to access the arena's Aura gauge. Jaune and Cardin both appeared on her screen, as well as the one from overhead. She briefly glanced at Ozpin, eyes narrowing as he took a sip of coffee. She momentarily followed his line of sight to Jaune Arc and back again before facing forward. "Fighters at the ready?" A brief pause as both fighters tensed up. There were several shouts from the stands in Jaune's favor, and jeers for Cardin. "Begin!"

All who had seen Jaune fight before, especially against Cardin, were unsurprised when Jaune rushed towards his opponent. Cardin smirked as Jaune came in close. The blond took a strong swing, and Cardin continued to smirk as he sidestepped the swing, his mace circling around to strike Jaune in the side. It was the epitome of lazy swings as far as Cardin was concerned.

He hadn't expected Jaune to stop, or for the shield to come up and actually block him. He was even more surprised when Jaune turned in to the block and smacked away the mace away. It was the glint of steel that snapped Cardin out of it and him jump back several feet. He felt the displacement of air at the tip of his nose as the point of Jaune's blade passed by. Sparks danced as Crocea Mors missed its mark as it hit the stone floor.

There was stunned silence from the stands and the arena floor. Simple though it may be, nobody had ever seen Jaune pull off a move like that before. Hell, he'd never even attempted such a thing. He was always the rush and tumble type, so of course they all would be shocked when he pulled off a slick move like that.

Cardin blinked, only to have the look replaced with a sneer. "So Jauney Boy has some moves after-!" He was interrupted as he needed to block, more sparks flying when Jaune's blade struck against the shaft of his mace. He felt his arms tremble as he held the blade in place, metal grinding metal. Jaune's didn't look like he was struggling to press against Cardin's strength. The redhead snarled, pushing all the harder. 'What the hell?! When did Jauney Boy get this strong?' He kicked out, missing as Jaune jumped away, and swung at the knight. An explosion kicked up shrapnel as Cardin hit the floor, letting his Aura take the brunt of any damage the rock pieces would have caused.

Jaune brought up his shield to protect against bits of fire and stone from the blast. He felt a pressure as a rock he missed smacked into the side of his head, but no pain to hinder him. A raised left hand rained down towards Cardin. Jaune's shield missed its mark and hit the floor as Cardin jumped back. A large crack appeared in the stone. Jaune spun around in place, raising his sword to block the overhead strike Cardin tried to hit him with. He grit his teeth at more sparks and Cardin's smirk.

"Hmm, I'm impressed, Jauney Boy. You're actually making me work for it for once." There was some strain in his voice. "But you better give up. You haven't beaten me yet, and it's not going to happen now." If those words were supposed to make Jaune lose his confidence, then they failed miserably. If anything, they stoked his anger like fire.

Jaune growled and he felt a throb at his temple. Cardin was taken aback when he saw Jaune's eyes flash green, but Jaune didn't know that. He pushed himself off his knees, and Cardin struggled to push him down and failed. "Like hell I'm going to give up!" This time Cardin didn't manage to dodge the shield punch. He stumbled back from the crack across the face he received, recovering quickly with a growl. He threw himself back at Jaune with a yell and a swing of his weapon. He wasn't going to play around anymore.

Surprised eyes in the stands from both friend and foe alike watched as Jaune blocked another strike, stabbing out from behind his shield. He missed when Cardin tilted his head, but batted away the mace. He swung his sword once, twice, three times in quick succession, Cardin meeting each of his strikes with a shower of sparks. "Has…" Ruby broke the silence. "Has Jaune been doing training that we don't know about?" She looked to her partner for an answer. The ivory haired heiress was just as surprised at her.

"If he hasn't, then he's been holding himself back for quite some time." Weiss' eyes followed the knight as he ducked under a strike, turning into Cardin's unprotected back. She looked at the Aura gauge. Cardin's Aura was dropping some, as was Jaune's. However, Cardin's was whittling away a bit more than his opponent. "And if that's not it, then something odd is happening." She turned to Yang. "Yang, is there something you aren't telling us?"

"Me? What makes you think I know anything?"

Her partner spoke up. "You have been around him the most. No late-night training sessions for you?"

"No way!" She looked back to the arena floor, Jaune parrying a fury of strikes. "We're out, we drink, we dance, but this..." Jaune returned Cardin's blows with a storm of his own. "I mean, he dances like a pro, but I've never seen this."

As Yang spoke, Nora watched off to the side, surprised but excited as she cheered for her leader. "C'mon Jauney, you can beat him!" At the rate he was going, it certainly looked to be the case.

At the arena floor, Oz posed a question. "I take it that this is far from the norm where Mr. Arc is concerned?"

"That would be an understatement," Glynda calmly replied, never looking away from the fight. "Despite his transcripts, until now, he has yet to show any talent for combat." She idly typed in her scroll. "His matches are usually ones of attrition; simply a matter of how much his opponent can hit him before he reaches the red." She eyed the Aura Gauge on screen. Neither teen had hit yellow yet. "To actually see him fight back well against an opponent...this is a first."

"Hmm," Ozpin grunted into his cup. He scowled lightly when Jaune took a hit to the face, only to come back swinging. "Even for his Aura, he seems oddly immune to pain." Eyes narrowed. "He actually seems to be getting stronger as the fight goes on..."

"Should I put a stop to them, sir?"

"No, not yet. There are stakes on this match, after all." Ozpin smiled. "We wouldn't want to stop them before we have a clear winner." Glynda raised an elegant brow, but gave a nod.

Back on the floor, Cardin had long started to grow frustrated. He could hear cheering from the dork's friends, having gotten over their initial surprise to root for their comrade. The same came for him from his own team. He felt sweat prickling up across his forehead. Why? Oum dammit, why?! Why wouldn't this little shit go down already?! He panted as he stared at Jaune, the knight breathing lightly and sweat dotting his own brow. This was ridiculous! When the hell had Jaune gotten any good at fighting? He glanced toward the Aura readouts, noting with a growl that they were almost even at about eighty percent. He could only wonder further at that, considering he had hit Jaune several times in the face. It should have drained him way more than that. From where he was standing though, Jaune might as well be as fresh as a daisy. The knight took a ready stance, set for another offensive. Cardin scowled and tightened the grip on his mace. Time to end this.

Cardin charged forward, swinging left and then right. Jaune ducked under the first strike, following with a shield bash that met the second and stopped it. Despite his current situation and attitude towards Cardin, Jaune couldn't help the feeling of success that flooded him. He didn't know what was happening, or even how it happened. He was fighting well, pulling off maneuvers he'd never known like they second nature. More, he was winning. For once in his weeks at Beacon, he was winning in a fight. It was wonderful feeling for him. This time, he stepped forward into an overhead strike. The strike hit the floor as Cardin dodged to his left to Jaune's unprotected side, wearing a vicious smirk.

The next swing had the full intent of damage behind it. Nobody missed the satisfied look on Cardin's face as he brought his mace down on Jaune's undefended side. Several screams rang out, echoing his name. Jaune saw the mace. He knew it would hit. He turned into the strike, trying to bring his shield up to block the head. It was only as he did that he noticed what his audience had not. The Dust gem was glowing. The shield was almost up, some of his audience looked relieved…but he wasn't quick enough.

Cardin's mace met Jaune's chest plate with a heavy thunk, an explosion like a grenade going off in Jaune's face. The resulting shockwave blew Jaune backwards off his feet, strong enough to throw him into the nearest wall. There was a crack of stone as he hit, a crater digging in and several long fractures webbing outward in the stone wall. Bits of fire licked at his sleeves and the neck of his shirt. He was not moving.

"JAUNE/JAUNEY!" Ruby and Nora were the first to react, breaking the group out of their shocked, horrified silences as he hit the wall. They and the rest of Jaune's friends were on their feet immediately, even Weiss, hanging over the bleacher railing. Nora and Yang in particular stared down at Jaune with more than a little fury, to only then focus on his laughing opponent. Yang's eyes had long shifted to crimson, while sparks of electricity crackled in Nora's. Sure, they shot at each other and they never held anything back when in class, but nobody had ever hit their opponent directly with an explosion. Cheers and howls of victory erupted on the other side of the stands from Cardin's teammates. Several eyes narrowed, and many weapons were being reached for.

"And that's the ma-MR. WINCHESTER, STOP!" Glynda's shout drew everyone's attention back to the arena to see Cardin rushing Jaune's prone body. He did not stop for her. His mace was poised for a strike.

"JAUNE!" Twin yells as both Nora and Yang jumped to the floor. They had their weapons ready as they ran, attempting to close the gap before Cardin reached Jaune. At the same time, Glynda had drawn her crop from its holster as she called on her Semblance. None of them were quick enough though as Cardin raised his weapon with a yell. Ozpin was the only one who noticed Jaune's Aura, which had been reduced by more than half, beginning to fill itself back up.

Cardin grit his teeth even as he smirked. Score one for him against Jauney Boy. The look on his face when that Dust crystal went off had been priceless. The little twerp had it coming, as far as Cardin saw it. He should have just given in, been Cardin's punching bag, and walked off with a few bruises. But no, he just had to keep fighting back. So, of course, Cardin was going to do everything he could to lay the knight out. Needed to make sure that the shrimp knew his place under Cardin's boot. Now he just needed to hammer the point home. Who knows? Maybe he'd managed to get him sent to the hospital if he hit hard enough. He swung down with the intent to crack Jaune's skull.

The mace froze halfway through its descent as a blackened Aura surrounded it. Cardin let out a grunt of pain as his weapon was ripped from his grip and hung in midair. Cardin paid it little attention as Jaune stood up before him. Bright yellow, almost white, fire blazed around him and through his hair; there was not a single burn to be seen for the flames. Wide, angry emerald eyes stared down at him in his bent position. Before Cardin could even consider a word, his world exploded with pain.

Yang and Nora both dodged to the side as Cardin flew between them in a blur, turning to watch as he smashed into a pillar. It cracked in half as he slammed into the wall. Over half of his remaining Aura disappeared from the gauge, nearly dropping him into the red. The two young women turned back to Jaune, further surprise evident as they looked at him.

His sword and shield were gone, as was his armor...at least the armor they were all used to seeing. Rather than the few scattered white pieces he'd had before, he sported an impressive formfitting, full body ensemble. Angular silver plates accented with gold made up the torso, roughly patterned in the shape of the muscle groups beneath. It extended past his waist, over his crotch, and down his legs. More silver plates with gold accent to match the muscle grouping, ending in a metal boot with a slight heel. In place of leather gloves, clawed silver and gold gauntlets covered his hands and forearms, coming to a point at the elbow. More interlocking strips over the upper arms led to shoulder pauldrons in the shape of lightly curved, upturned spikes. The golden emblem of a lion's face stood out on the front of each shoulder.

Over his collarbone and up his neck, silver covered up until his hairline and the bottom of his ears, leaving golden locks of hair free. More metal spread over his cheeks, down over his chin, and across his forehead, framing his face. From this frame, a smooth, angular mask with four vertical slits covered his mouth and nose, leaving his eyes in the open. The Arc family sigil stood out in gold in the middle of his forehead and across the armor plate over his heart. His Aura took the cake though. An Aura of fire engulfed him, recognized by all as the same as Yang's own when her Semblance reached a peak; the color change of his eyes differed, a brilliant emerald rather than a radiant red, but changed nonetheless.

Nobody was able to get a word off before Jaune crouched and then leaped. The force behind his jump managed to crack the stone floor. He flew well over Yang and Nora's heads, arching high into the air to descend on his opponent. Despite his current pain and wooziness, Cardin still saw Jaune coming and made to move as quickly as he could. He managed to move out of Jaune's path just as Jaune reached him with a yell and threw his punch. The remaining base of the pillar was obliterated, and the area around it cratered.

Jaws dropped both at the leap and the punch. Weiss especially was surprised. "How...?" Her mouth closed as Jaune walked out of the hole he'd dug, still lit like Yang, but wholly calmer. He zeroed in on Cardin, who was getting back to his feet. "When did he...?" Then he began to move toward Cardin. The bruiser had this mace back in hand, and was breathing a little heavier than normal, but ready once again to fight.

"Mr. Arc, I believe that is enough." If Jaune heard Glynda speak, he gave her no indication. He kept walking forward. The armor around his forearms shifted, moving like liquid to form a brilliant silver kite shield similar to his last on his left, a golden Arc sigil forming in the middle and gold trimming the edges, while a rather large, silver great-sword appeared on the right, easily a foot longer than his previous blade, and twice as wide. A line of gold extended up the blade's middle, with a golden cross guard and a golden pommel shaped as a lion's head. He kept walking, while Cardin was starting to step back. "Mr. Arc! I said that's enough!" Still walking. "MR. ARC!"

Jaune couldn't hear her through his anger. He was sick of putting up with Cardin. He figured that he would beat him, and then maybe Cardin would back off. Blowing up that crystal in his face though? Oh, yeah, that was the line. Whatever Cardin had against him, he didn't know. Forget beating him. If he put him in the hospital… well, maybe that might get him off his back. His sword felt so light now. He barely noticed it. Good. No more weight to hinder him. He was mildly aware of voices he was hearing, but they went unnoticed otherwise. He leapt toward Cardin, sword high for the strike. He brought it down just as hard Cardin had swung at him. Unlike Cardin, his swing was blocked and it completely stopped. Jaune could only stare hard at the one that stopped him, panting in exertion and anger.

"Now, Mr. Arc, I do believe that Miss Goodwitch is correct. That's quite enough." Ozpin gazed into blazing green, his cane lazily holding back Jaune's weapon. "Another strike like that, and you could very well seriously injure Mr. Winchester." He pressed against Jaune's blade, forcibly lowering it to the ground with a small smile. "We wouldn't want something like that tarnishing your record now, would we?"

Jaune blinked, feeling his anger slowly begin to abate. The bright fire in his hair began to die down and his eyes shifted from green back to blue. The mask over his nose and mouth split down the middle and pulled back to reveal slightly open lips. Ozpin quirked a silent brow at the young man before him, still smiling. The pressure against his cane let up, allowing him to return it to his side as Jaune's sword did. Jaune himself took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "No sir."

"That's what I like to hear." The man's eyes narrowed marginally. Both Nora and Yang had come up on the two of them, though he didn't show them any immediate attention. "Tell me, Mr. Arc, how are you feeling right now? And if I may ask, where did that impressive suit of armor come from?"

Jaune blinked at the question, looking down himself. He glanced between sword and shield, bracer and boots. He looked over his shoulder, taking in his armored back, then turning back to Ozpin. His mouth opened and closed. Sounds escaped, but no words. Not at first, anyway. "I... I have no idea." He looked himself over again. "I feel great by the way, but yeah, no idea where the armor came from." He looked back at Ozpin. "Any idea how I get it off?"

Ozpin didn't get a word in before Jaune's sword and shield seemed to melt and absorb back into the arms of the armor itself. Jaune blinked once before his gauntlets liquefied and started pulling back from over his fingers. Only a moment later did he realize it was happening at his feet too when the liquid armor drew back from over his toes. His bare toes. He quickly noticed that his arms and legs where the armor had been were bare too. And it was slowly pulling away from more bare flesh where there'd once been clothing. "Oh crap." That's not good.

"Mr. Arc," Ozpin said, a lilt of amusement in his tone. "Perhaps it would be a good idea to will your armor into a set of clothing? I don't believe losing your pants in front of Miss Goodwitch would be a good plan."

"Right," the blond said absently. He thought about his normal attire briefly, and just like that, the flow of metal stopped. Good thing too. It was almost past the point of decency. It began to flow over again, back down over his legs and feet, over his torso and upper arms. There were several shifts before the mercurial material settled. Jaune blinked once again, looking down at an exact copy of his normal jeans/hoodie/sneaker combo. It looked exactly the same. He pulled the material. It even felt the same. The only difference was the large Arc family sigil positioned right over his heart.

"Most impressive indeed." Jaune's attention snapped to his headmaster, who now stood almost directly before him. He idly noticed he was eye to eye with the man. "It seems that you're coming along quite well, Mr. Arc. Far better than I had expected."

Jaune perked up. "Really?"

"Indeed." Taking another sip, he looked at Jaune over his spectacles. "Forgive an old man his curiosity, Mr. Arc, but I had wished to see how you were progressing. Grades are good indicators, but in a school such as this, actual bouts tend to be better. However, I had not thought that your opponent would be so..." He glanced at Cardin. "…overzealous. For that, I must apologize."

It was surreal. Ozpin, headmaster of Beacon Academy, a man known for his feats as a Huntsman, and easily one of the most powerful men on Remnant, was apologizing. To him. Jaune Arc. "I... uh... It's no problem...sir."

"Wonderful." The old wizard smiled. "In that case, I shall leave you and your friends to your training. Since you've won the match, the floor is you-."

"Now wait a minute!" Cardin was up again, gums flapping. "We're not-"

The sound of Ozpin's cane striking down on the stone floor seemed to mute the world. The look the man gave his student would have made better men cower. "No, I do believe that you are quite done, young man." He quirked a smirk. "Of course, if you'd like to continue fighting, I'm certain that Mr. Arc would be happy to oblige you. If not him, then Miss Valkyrie or Miss Xiao-Long would be perfectly willing opponents. Or perhaps your team would like to take on the three of them?" He feigned a thought as he walked to the standing, if nervous, student. "Although, given that Mr. Arc and Miss Xiao-Long seem to possess the same Semblance, it would likely be a short fight."

"Professor Ozpin, that's-." A motion and a look from Ozpin silenced his second in command rather quickly.

"It was simply a jest, Glynda, nothing more." He turned back to Cardin. "However, Mr. Winchester and his team will be joining me in my office for a lengthy discussion on the use of lethal force against a classmate." He leaned forward, close enough for only Cardin to hear. "As well as on the consequences of forgery, Mr. Winchester." Cardin paled very quickly at those words. "Good to see we understand each other."

"Professor Ozpin?" The man leaned away from his student.

"Glynda. Please be sure that Mr. Winchester and his team make it to my office before the end of the day. Now, if you'll excuse me, I must be leaving." He turned towards the door, glancing in Jaune's direction. The rest of team RWBY had made their way down, and all had Jaune under many different scrutinizing looks. "Mr. Arc?"

"Uh… sir?"

"I suggest you ask Miss Xiao-Long for tips, given your shared power." Another smirk. "And do make sure you don't accidentally strip your armor again." Jaune's blush was enough of a response. Though he did look to Yang. The girl's gaze would have burned a hole through most. "A good day to you all." And just like that, he was walking again, and soon out the door. He heard the chatter begin almost immediately. He took another drink of his coffee, thoughts on this recent development as he walked away.

'So, he truly is an Arc…'

* * *

'Jauney is so strong now…'

Luxuriating in the hot shower, Nora ran her hands through her hair. Soapy shampoo bubbles rinsed away down her back before she reached for her loofah and body wash. Lotus scented, just like her Renny! She hoped he was doing okay back in Mistral. He'd said that he needed to look into something back there, and that it was to be a surprise for her. She could only wonder what it would be, especially that he needed to go all the way back home for it. She was a bit upset that he'd asked her to stay behind. The two of them had been together for what felt like forever. That day in Kuroyuri seemed like so long ago. She'd be okay though. Jauney had been here to keep her company!

It had been such a good time too! First, a sleepover with their sister team, and all of the candy her stash could provide (Renny must never find out about it). Then that breakfast! She deflated a bit as she thought about it. She'd felt bad about lying about how good Jaune's pancakes were… A tear of happiness came unbidden as she thought about them, even as she bit her lip. 'They were even better than Renny's…'

She knew it was true. Even in her heart, she couldn't deny it. She loved Ren's cooking, she couldn't get enough of it, but Jaune's pancakes were wonderful, fluffy perfection. Sweet cakes, with bits of semi-dark chocolate in the mix, perfectly mixed to not over power. And that syrup! Sweet maple and blueberry, prepared perfectly to provide sweetness, but leaving enough tart to gently cleanse the pallet. Nora felt herself blush, salivating at the thought of more…

She shook her head to regain herself, despite the slight dribbling of drool at the corner of her mouth. And then that training session! She'd told Glynda to set the battle droids for level four, since she'd thought Jauney would need a handicap. Then that dummy Cardin had to stick his big nose in on them. She'd have broken his legs if Ozpin hadn't come along. Instead of her doing it, Jauney got to do it, and he did so well! He'd kicked Cardin's ass, and that was before he got the awesome armor!

Oh Oum, the armor! It was so cool! Nora jumped up and down thinking about it. It was a good thing it worked as clothes. She let the mischievous out as a grin while she lathered up. Too bad though, she would have liked a look. She could only wonder why Yang had hit him and stormed off though. She and Jauney had the same Semblance now! She could give him so many pointers. Wasn't that a good thing?

It made him so strong too! After the sparring with the droids (she hoped they could get them all replaced by next time), they went right to the weight room. Usually Jauney only got up to a hundred pounds or so. Nora couldn't help the small smile; Jauney was a good leader, but he'd been a little on the weaker side. Now though… He was even stronger than her now!

It had been small. He'd said his usual weight felt very light. Nora had added more weight. Another hundred pounds. He lifted it like it was nothing. Another hundred. More and more, over and over again, until he had a half a ton on the bar! He was still lifting, and his eyes had turned green again. He was still lifting, and his eyes had turned green again. There were no bigger bars, and there was no more space to add more weight safely. Both she and Ruby had jumped on the ends of the already overloaded bar. He still managed to lift it with very little visible strain. They'd all been amazed at his new-found strength; even Weiss had been impressed by him now.

She'd enjoyed her time with Jauney so much. After all of that, he'd helped her with her homework, then they played video games, and had so much fun! If she had any say about it, they would still have more. She scrubbed herself gently, working up a fluffy lather. It gently rinsed away to reveal gleaming skin. She thought back to Yang.

She hoped that Yang wouldn't mind. They'd sounded like they'd had so much fun the night before, but the blonde berserker had seemed really upset with him earlier today. The punch she gave him really looked like it had hurt. Then again, if she was angry with him, that might make things a little better.

She had hoped that Pyrrha wouldn't mind either. That girl needed to speak up already where Jaune was concerned. How she hadn't already spoken up and jumped Jauney was beyond her. Nora shook her head. She'd never get anywhere if she never said anything to him.

Renny definitely wouldn't mind. He'd known she'd had an eye on Jauney since they had met him. Okay, he'd been a little wishy-washy at first, but hey, he'd gotten an upgrade. She did say that he ever showed any kind of interest, then she might consider it. Renny had said it would be okay too, but she has still been a little conflicted over it. All because Jauney was an Arc.

At least, she thought he was. He had the last name, sure, but the stories that she'd heard about Arcs always said that they were really powerful. They could take out herds of Grimm, and barely be winded. Jauney had been a little…underwhelming for what she'd been expecting. Although, most of the Arcs she heard stories about had been about women…

She grabbed her razor and bent to her legs, gently swiping it upward and slicing down unwanted ginger strands. Jauney was strong though. She'd heard Yang say something to him about a mark, and she'd seen Jaune looking at it through that crack in the door. If Yang had a mark, then it only matched up to one story about Arcs that she knew about. Had she gotten it by sleeping with Jaune? Is that how Jaune got Yang's Semblance too? Oh, it would be so much fun to find out!

She rinsed the excess shaving cream from her legs, running a finger over her skin. Baby smooth. It was perfect. She was almost done. She'd find out, but she had a little more prepping to do first. She hoped Jauney would say yes. She reached for a little plastic bottle from her things, blushing as she removed the cap. Yang had seemed to have a lot of fun with him. Nora wanted to as well. They'd enjoyed themselves so much today, but Jauney still seemed down about the thing with Yang.

Nora would cheer him up though. She squeezed the bottle. 'Ahh, that's cold!' She'd be ready for anything he wanted from her…

* * *

 _6\. Make sure she doesn't try to skip out on her after fight workout. Nora's usually pretty good about doing it, but every now and then, she does try to escape._

 _7\. Homework, homework, homework. I cannot stress this enough. She will definitely try to get out of this, or fall asleep. Either way, help her get it done. …Don't do it for her though._

 _8\. Video games are always a nice distraction. I'd hold off until the homework is done. Otherwise, you'll never get her attention back._

He'd have to remember to thank Ren for the list when he got back; it had been a big help. It had in regard to reigning Nora in, anyway. If only he had a list for himself now. Maybe then he'd be able to make sense of just what was happening with him.

Jaune looked himself in the mirror on the back of his closet door. His waist was wrapped in a towel, and his hair damp from a recent shower. He was once again checking his new size and musculature. He almost couldn't believe it was his body, but it was. It was just bigger, more defined. His abs twitched when his fingers ghosted over his skin. They stopped at his chest. Fingers tapped against his new addition, a 'tink tink tink' answering the drumming tips of his fingernails.

The silver metal took up most his left pectoral, a hexagonal plate with two golden arcs nestled right in the middle over his heart. He laid his hand over it. It was warm, and it throbbed with his breathing and heartbeat. Tracing the edges of the plating, he felt around the skin that met the metal, considering his weapon. He certainly would never be without it anymore.

Crocea Mors was so incredible, and he'd never even realized it. It couldn't be anything else. The sword and shield had disappeared after Cardin hit him into the wall. His old armor plating was gone too. He'd checked his landing site for both, and found neither. It was impossible for them to just disappear, so this armor had to be them. If he didn't know any better, he would swear it was alive; it responded to his will, moving between clothing, then armor, then his sword and shield with only a thought. It was certainly strong. Nora had given it her best shot during their time in the ring. He'd barely felt it, and that was not considering the fact that he didn't seem to feel pain anymore.

Jaune felt his mood sour a bit at that thought. He couldn't feel pain. Undoubtedly a side effect of Yang's Semblance. Her Semblance. Why? Why did he have it? He sighed, turning from the mirror to his bed. He briefly considered it before he bent to grasp the bottom edge of said bed and lifted. It lifted away from the ground easily, the entire frame gently hoisted into the air until it was about chest level, before he slowly lowered it back to the ground. He couldn't do anything like that before. The fact of the matter was that all this new strength was a boon. He needed to be this strong to be a Huntsman. But still, how did this happen?

He plopped himself down on the bed, falling back to lay across the bedspread. His arm fell over his eyes. He knew it had to be because of that mark; it was the only thing that made sense. Why? What kind of Semblance was that?! It was ridiculous! He rubbed at his eyes, trying to get some of his frustration to abate. It basically required that he take advantage of any sexual partner he would ever have. Even informed consent couldn't cover something like this. He could already see it now. 'Sure, we can have sex. Just to let you know though, if we do, I may end up taking the power that is uniquely yours.' He might as well be taking a piece of their soul. It was a violation of the highest order.

Thinking about it, he couldn't really blame Yang for being pissed at him. But then, he also wished that wasn't the case. He'd seen her just now, as he was heading back from the shower. He'd been at his door, standing in his towel, and she'd just come around the corner. She'd caught his eyes, and the two of them stared at each other. Neither of them said a single word, though Jaune more than wanted to. They just wouldn't come. Yang didn't look angry as she gazed at him. If anything, she looked wary and upset, like she couldn't trust him, and then she just turned and walked the other way.

Jaune was certain that he would have preferred her angry.

They'd had some good fun together. The night life on the town had been fun. The dancing never got old for him. Okay, sure, his liver had gotten a hell of a workout, but that wasn't really an issue. He would also admit, though it came about recently, the sex had been pretty damn good too...

He felt a brief stirring under his towel. 'Nope, stop thinking about it. That's what got us in trouble in the first place...' He let out a tired sigh, dragging a palm over his face before putting his hands behind his head. He needed to see if he could fix this. He was fairly certain that Yang wasn't going to be speaking to him for a long while, so he had time to see what he could do. He had a good starting point too. His family had to know something. Considering that they wouldn't awaken his Aura before, they had to. If not, then they at least had a clue that something like this would happen. A fresh spike of irritation hit him. The flames of his new power certainly weren't for show either, feeling the increase to his temperature that signaled a coming ignition.

He shook his head to clear the aggravation. Dear Oum, was this what Yang felt like all the time? 'It's like having a hair trigger at all times…' And then he realized the unintentional pun, and he could only groan to himself. 'Don't tell me the puns are part of this too.' Another sigh. He put it out of his mind for the moment. All of it was too troublesome to think about right now. For now, he was just going to sit back, lie there, and enjoy the peace and quiet.

…Wait, why was it quiet? Jaune's eyes snapped open and glanced around. He sat up quickly, suddenly very afraid. It was quiet. This meant that Nora was missing. Oh boy, this was not good. It was one thing to let her out of his sight when there was someone else to keep an eye on her. It was another thing entirely to just lose sight of-.

"Hey Jauney!" Nora called as she opened the dorm door. Speak of the Grimm and they appear. She was fresh out of the shower, hair and body wrapped up tight in towels. She blinked when Jaune let out a relieved sigh and fell back with a thump. "Jauney? You okay?" She got a somewhat hysterical laugh and a light hand wave.

"Yep, I'm fine. I'm great." Another sigh and another palm to the face. "I'm just frickin' wonderful." He felt the bed shift. He glanced between his fingers to see Nora sidle up next to him. She was still wrapped up in her towels. He hoped the light pink in his cheeks would just be mistaken for the fact that he was a little overheated.

"Still thinking about what happened with Yang?" Jaune was actually a little surprised. Nora proved to be much more observant than he ever gave her credit for. She hit the nail on the head. The palm was away from his face, and he gave a tiny nod. "She can't stay angry forever. Whatever you did, she'll have to forgive you eventually." Jaune gave a rueful chuckle.

"I don't know, Nora. Yang seems like the type to hold a grudge." Nora scratched her cheek in thought.

"Did you mean to do it?" Jaune blinked.

"Pardon?" Nora cocked her head, smiling.

"Did you mean to do whatever you did to make Yang angry?" Jaune frowned.

"Of course not!" He suddenly found Nora patting him on the head, and he could only blink in response.

"Then don't worry! If it was an accident, I'm sure she'll forgive you." Nora gave him a wide smile, petting his hair. "It might take some time, but I'm sure she will."

Jaune blinked, open-mouthed, at his teammate for before he gave a quiet chuckle. Trust Nora to always look on the bright side. She was right though. "I suppose so." He smiled back at her. "Thanks, Nora."

"Of course!" The girl only giggled after that, continuing to pet his hair. Jaune thought that it was a little odd for her to do it, but he didn't stop her doing it. It felt kind of nice, actually. He laid himself back, closed his eyes, and let her keep going. It went on for several moments, the room quiet, save for Nora's quiet humming. Jaune briefly acknowledged the quiet rustling of some cloth, just before Nora spoke up again.

"Hey...Jauney?" He gave a pleased grunt of acknowledgement that he'd heard her. "If I ask you something, you would answer me honestly, right?" That set off alarm bells in his heads. Yang had asked the same thing last night in the shower when she first brought up that mark. Surely this was not the same situation. He spoke, but kept his eyes shut to keep his nervous thoughts hidden.

"Of course, I would, Nora. You can ask me anything."

"Okay…Jauney…" Hmm, this was a surprise: hesitation from Nora. "Do you think I'm pretty?"

Huh? "Beg your pardon?" Where the heck had that question come from? This time, Jaune did open his eyes, and he blinked. Nora had tossed away the towel in her hair, allowing wet strands to lay flat and frame her face. A dusting of pink was spread across her skin, more likely from the recent warmth of the shower than from embarrassment, given her smile. It was small, but prominent. Mischievous. Sultry. That hadn't been hesitation before. Nora was being coy.

"I said..." She leaned in close, still wearing that smile. He idly noticed that the towel she was wearing was looser than it had been before. The freckles atop her bosom...just how far did they go, he wondered. "...do you think I'm pretty?"

Hearing it again, it was a silly question for her to ask. "Of course I think you're pretty, Nora. Why wouldn't I?" He glanced down. The towel had loosened more; her girls wouldn't be contained much longer. That outfit of hers concealed far more than he thought. "Anybody who doesn't think you're pretty would have to be blind." The giggle that she gave him was about as sultry as the smile.

"Thanks, Jauney."

The two of them didn't say anything else after that. They laid there on his bed, Nora propped up on her elbow over him, while Jaune just laid flat on his back. The only sound present was the gentle movement of air as they breathed. Each stared at the other through the silence. Nora kept that coquettish little smile, and Jaune just laid there with his own tiny smile. The moments stretched as Jaune's eyes made little searching motions, and Nora just kept smiling.

He wasn't sure what made him lean up to her. All that registered was that Nora had also leaned down to meet him. Just as she had been before, Nora's lips were graced with a softness like a fluffy pancake. Jaune's lips were just as warm, and tasted just as sweet as the syrup she loved so much. He tasted so good! She grasped at his face and pull him into her lips, trying to devour his sweetness.

Jaune briefly wondered if all girls were so soft, or if it was just the ones that he knew. He couldn't recall; Nora's kiss zapped all thoughts from his head. As fluffy and soft as the bed they laid upon, with the returning taste of electric blueberries. He briefly felt his own lips tingle, then numb, and tingle again. Static seemed to wash through his cheeks, flashing through his brain. He felt Nora's hands on his face, pulling at him. He was sure his lips and cheeks would be bruised. He didn't mind though. Even a chaste kiss like this was worth it.

Both of them gasped as they came up for breath. Eyes that had closed opened again to take the other in. Nora was still smiling through her open-mouthed panting. Jaune was smiling as well, before he blinked and it started to leave him, just before he glanced to the side. Nora's smile muted some, even as she leaned in to nuzzle Jaune's face. He caught a whiff of her hair as he felt her lips on his face, taking a deep breath of the flowery scent. Lotus flower…appropriate.

"What's the matter Jauney?" Her breath tickled his ear just as she laid another kiss on his cheek. She pulled back to look at him. She still smiled, and raised a questioning eyebrow. "C'mon. You can tell Queen Nora." He glanced away once more, but looked right back.

"Is this okay…?" Nora cocked her head. "I mean… I thought you and Ren…" Nora giggled, once more leaning back into him.

"We're not 'together, together,' remember, Jauney? We can do anything we want." He heard the shuffling of cloth. He idly noticed the towel falling off her sides. She was perfectly curvy in all the right places. "And if Renny does say anything, then you let me handle him." She took one of his hands and pushed it into her breast. He was surprised; Nora's outfit belied her true size. He gave a gentle squeeze, while Nora gave a quiet moan and bit her lip. "C'mon Jauney. Play with me…"

* * *

Jaune's ascent to consciousness was a slow one. He felt a weight at his chest. There was also the light tickle from what he was sure was hair. He felt breasts press against him, and arms draping themselves around his body. It took him a moment in his sleepiness to remember what had happened. His body registered the fatigue of activity, abs and legs tired from repeated exertion. He noted an idle tingle of remembered pleasure, along with the light itch of dried sweat. Yes, he knew this feeling well. Sex was had definitely been a thing. And it had been with Nora.

Nora's light snoring reached him, matching the steady puffs of breath against his skin. He took in a deep breath of his own. A large hand came up to pet at her head. He shifted a little to get more comfortable. Nora moaned quietly, pulling at him so her face was against his skin. She nuzzled him, moaning, "Jauney…"

Even without opening his eyes, he smiled, tightening his hold around her. He was more than certain he would die as soon as Ren was back. Wasn't like he would keep this from his friend. Oum knows Nora would likely tell him about the fun they had. Maybe if he explained the situation, and begged, then his male teammate would at least kill him quickly. He'd been instructed to keep an eye on Nora. Ren had even said that they both trusted him, without question. How much of that would he lose now, he had to wonder. Probably all of it. This wouldn't look good, no matter what he said. "Warm…" Nora muttered, still nuzzling. He imagined how the two of them would look to an outside party. He idly stroked her ginger hair. He'd worry about his death at a later time. There wasn't anything that could ruin this moment right now.

*Chick-click. *

Shit. Perhaps he'd thought that a little too soon. He actively had to make sure his facial muscles did not move, fighting off the wince he wanted to let happen. He knew that sound; a machine pistol being cocked was very distinctive after all. Maybe if he begged for his life, then he might die quickly. It was worth a shot. After all, Ren was usually an understanding guy. Then again, this was Nora, his best friend. Given this weekend, something told him that Ren was the protective type.

"There's not much point feigning sleep; I knew you were awake the moment the rhythm of your breathing changed."

No point holding the wince back this time either, apparently. Even if he had, he was certain that Ren would have woken him if he'd actually been asleep. He opened his eyes. Yep, that was definitely StormFlower's barrel looking him in the face. Ren must have cleaned it recently; he smelled fresh gun oil. He looked over the muzzle, finding his friend staring at him. His magenta eyes were wide open, compared to their normal half-closed status. Yes, Ren was definitely pissed. Jaune dry swallowed. He had never actually seen Ren angry before. It was surreal, but so foreboding.

"I..." The gun moved just a fraction, a sign of rather tensed muscles. "I don't suppose I can make a last request, can I?" Ren didn't seem to appreciate the joke, considering he didn't so much as twitch. Jaune let out a sigh. "Yeah, I didn't think so. Oh well, life was fun while it lasted." Silence once again. Jaune stared his team brother in the eye, waiting for the trigger pull.

Ren spoke after several moments though. "I'll consider rescinding your punishment if you answer one question for me, Jaune." His leader gave him a surprised look, but then a slow nod. "Did you take advantage of Nora?"

Ren was surprised when the eyes staring at him shifted from blue to green, but did not allow it to show. Safe to say, but now Jaune looked pissed. He let out a quiet snarl. "I'd sooner castrate myself with a rusty spoon." Ren almost winced at the idea. However, while rather extreme, he could see in Jaune's stare that he meant every word.

The two of them stared each other down for several more moments, nary a twitch or sound betwixt them. Then, with a swish and a click of metal, StormFlower sheathed itself in Ren's sleeve. "I believe you would." Then he smiled, confusing his leader. "I'm sorry about that, Jaune. I have to play the 'serious protector ' role every now and then." Jaune could only blink in further confusion as his teammate pulled up a chair and sat. Gently setting Nora on the bed, where she took a pillow into her death grip, he sat up, making sure to keep the sheet over his waist. Ren immediately noticed the metal plate.

"Jaune, what's that?" Jaune glanced at his chest.

"Long story," he mumbled, cocking his head. "You first though... Why am I not dead right now?"

Ren raised an eyebrow, his own expression bemused. "Nora didn't explain what she was doing?"

Jaune snorted. "Well, it was rather obvious _what_ she was doing, but if you mean did she explain _why_ , then no."

Ren sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Oum-dammit, Nora." He glanced at his friend laying in Jaune's bed, shaking his head and taking a moment to collect himself. Seeing Jaune stare at him, he gave a small cough. "Then perhaps I should start by telling you this: Nora and I are more than just childhood friends. She's actually my girlfriend." Watching Jaune's eyes bug out did make him smile.

"Wait a damn minute! You two actually are dating?! Then why does Nora keep saying-?!" He stopped as Ren held up a hand.

"Yes, we are actually dating, but you can relax Jaune. You're not in any trouble." He gave the Valkyrie a loving glance. "Our relationship can be a little confusing for some, considering both of us are poly."

Jaune blinked. Then he blinked again. He seemed to have been doing a lot of that this weekend. "You two are both poly? Seriously?"

"Yes." Ren took on a thoughtful look. "Granted, neither of us are really involved with anyone else, but yes."

"So then when Nora says that you two aren't together-together, she means..."

"...that we aren't exclusive, correct." The two of them stared back and forth for several moments, only for Jaune to visibly slump and fall back against the mattress. Ren raised a brow. "Were you that worried?"

Jaune gave him a deadpan look. "I just slept with the childhood friend of a teammate, who's the closest thing I have to a brother as well as her partner, who I was also certain had feelings for her partner, but wasn't certain given the situation that we were in, and then woke up to her angry partner/possible love interest pointing a gun at my face."

"You make a good point." Ren leaned against the desk, crossing a leg. "I'd actually been expecting this for some time; Nora has had her eye on you since we first met you." He smirked. "She thought you were cute. She wanted to find out if you thought the same of her before she did anything though."

"Wait a minute." Jaune sat up again. "Did you know that Nora might jump me if you left her alone with me? Was this entire weekend away to give her a chance to jump my bones?"

"No." The blonde knight was surprised by his teammate's firmness. "No, this weekend was definitely not just for that. Granted, I suspected that she might when I asked her to stay behind, but no." He looked away from his leader. "What I told you before was the truth; there were family issues I needed to go home for."

Jaune narrowed his eyes as he looked at his friend. He knew that Ren was not one to wear his emotions on his sleeves. If anything, Ren would bury them deep, and they would never see the light of day again. That Ren would not look at him as he spoke of something like his and Nora's families spoke in leaps and bounds. He was about to ask what exactly he meant when he received a mouthful of tongue.

Nora's kiss was just as passionate as before, save for her lackadaisical amount of fatigue from recently waking. Jaune blinked once before his eyes drifted shut and he relaxed into the kiss. Nora let out a moan as pebbled nipples pressed against his chest. He felt her arms at his neck, his own circling Nora to pull her into him. One hand held her in place, while the other slid low and took a strong hold of a freckled buttock.

Nora broke the kiss between them, giggling and blushing. "I knew you liked my back bumpers, Jauney." She leaned in close to whisper to him, licking at the shell of his ear. "Do you want to do it there again? It's okay. We can. I don't mind." Jaune grinned slyly, pulling away from the hyperactive war mistress. He leaned away from her, tapping her on the end of the nose. "Aww, why did you boop me?"

"Just wondering if you're cool with an audience." He pointed to his side. Nora followed his pointing finger. Her face lit up with glee brighter than one of her grenades going off. Her partner was looking at them again. He even gave Nora a little wave as he smiled at her.

Jaune was certain that his eardrum had ruptured from the squeal that erupted from Nora. The next thing he realized, she was no longer on top of him, and neither were the blankets he'd been wearing. He registered the slight sound of distress before wincing at the thump made when Ren's chair hit the floor. He looked. Yep, Nora had taken the blankets with her when she jumped. "Renny!"

"Ugh, good morning Nor-." His groan was cut off when Nora kissed him too. Jaune just kind of cocked his head. This was new. He'd always thought they'd be cute together, but actually seeing them smooch kind of sealed that idea. Ren looked pretty breathless when the Valkyrie relinquished his lips. He still managed a smile. "I take it you had fun?"

"So much fun!" She sat up, and the blankets went down as she straddled Ren's stomach. Jaune briefly wondered how he'd missed the birthmark on Nora's left cheek before. "Jauney made me pancakes! Then he kicked Cardin's butt, then we beat the robots together!" She grinned, almost shaking with excitement. "And then- and then he lifted almost six of himself! It was so awesome!"

"He did what?" Ren met the knight's eyes as his own shot open in surprise. "How did-?" Once again, he was cut off by Nora, who had slid up his belly to straddle his chest. "Nora, what-?"

"Can you see it Renny? Is it there? Is the mark there?!" Though her back was turned, Jaune could see Nora gesturing towards her lower abdomen. He felt worry settle into his stomach. No way. She couldn't possibly have meant…

"Nora, what are you talking… about…?" The martial artist had focused where Nora was pointing as he trailed off. He just stared for several moments in bemused silence, while his partner grinned down at him like she couldn't have been any happier. The cat that ate the canary had nothing on her. That worry in Jaune's stomach started to writhe like snakes when Ren looked back to him. "Jaune… why is your crest on Nora's body?" And just like that, the writhing pit turned to lead. He swallowed and opened his mouth to say something, but was quickly cut off by Nora.

"I KNEW IT!" She was on her feet now, a triumphant fist raised to the sky. "I knew it, I knew it, I knew it!" Ren went from the floor to finding himself suspended in the air by his friend and her grip on his arms. Then came the bear hug. His lungs and ribs screamed in protest. "We found one! We actually found one!" A grunt as he was dropped to the floor again, while a confused Jaune backed away from the Nora suddenly in his face. He could see the gleeful stars in her eyes. "And he's our leader too! It couldn't be more perfect if we tried!" Now she was back in his lap and hugging him too. Jaune was pretty sure he had whiplash just from following her movements.

"Okay…I'm really confused right now."

"You're not the only one," Ren said, brushing dust from his outfit. Nora gave an exasperated groan, moving to sit on the bed next to her team leader.

"Renny, don't you get it?" She pointed at Jaune's bemused face. "He's an Arc!"

If they had been confused before, then it had nothing on how Jaune and Ren were feeling right now. Ren glanced at Jaune for clarification, but said knight could only shrug. "Nora… we've always known that Jaune was an Arc. We've known his last name since we were assigned to his team."

"That's not what I mean!" Off the edge and over again, she was off the bed and moving towards her own. She opened the closet door, reaching for a trunk inside and looking through it. "It's not just his last name! I mean he's an Arc, like the stories!" Now Jaune really didn't know what to make of Nora's ramblings. There were stories about his family?

"Nora, what are you…?" The slowly dawning realization on Ren's face was impossible to go unnoticed. "Wait. The stories… Nora, those are just fairy tales." Jaune's eyes shot to his friend. Fairy tales? Nora didn't seem to hear her partner, pulling a decent sized sack from the trunk. Her face lit up with an 'Aha!'

"They're not just fairy tales, Renny! And now I'm going to prove it!" She marched back across the room, stopping in all her nude glory before a still uncovered Jaune and reaching into the bag. She held something out for him. "Jauney, I want you to eat this, please." She said it with a smile. He raised a brow, but still held out his hand to let her drop the offering. Something hard hit his palm, and he held it up to inspect it. Whatever it was, it was bright yellow. It looked like a piece of rock candy.

"Jaune, wait-!" The Arc looked up to find Ren standing behind Nora, with one of her hands slapped over his mouth. He was still trying to talk, magenta eyes were wide, and he was trying fervently to shake his head in the knight's direction. That should have been more than enough for him to toss away the nugget in his hand.

"Jaune." He was surprised by the seriousness in Nora's look though. "I promise you that nothing will happen if you eat that. In fact, I can guarantee you'll feel better than you ever have before." Nora never did serious. If she did, then it was only when she was absolutely sure of something. She certainly sounded sure. He held the piece up, glancing between it, Nora, and Ren, who was now actively fighting against Nora's grip on him. He looked back at the piece before him and shrugged before he popped it into his mouth. Uh… huh. It tasted a little weird, a bit like dirt. Then he bit down.

A strong tingling ripped its way through Jaune's teeth, tongue, and gums; his tongue went briefly numb and he felt his mouth flood with salivation. A strong taste like lemon shocked his taste buds. The tingle worked its way through his cheeks, up his jaw, and through his brain. Nerves fired and muscles spasmed as a wave of energy crashed over all of him. It was a buzzing of bees all over, like he'd drunken an endless amount of coffee and all the caffeine hit him at the same time. He was standing up before he even realized.

"Holy hell, that's some good stuff! Can I get another piece?" He was grinning at both of them, but Nora's own megawatt smile seemed to drown his out. In contrast, Ren had gone slack in both expression and body. He looked like he'd seen a dead man.

"See, Renny?! I told you!" She turned her grin on her friend, but he didn't respond. He only seemed to have eyes for Jaune. He took a rigid step forward, out of his friend's embrace. The smile on her face had yet to diminish.

"It's impossible..." The smile on Jaune's face did drop though. Given the thousand-yard stare Ren was giving him, he was allowed to be a little wary. Ren only stopped when he stood before his leader, seemingly unaffected by the knight's nudity. The look had changed to something more...hopeful. He lifted a hand to hold it before Jaune's chest, stopping before actually touching him. "May I, Jaune?"

"Sure...?" He was more than a little uncertain of what his friend had in mind, but more than anything, he trusted him. He felt Ren's hand meet his chest. It had a light chill. What threw him though was when Ren stared to speak.

" _For it is in passing that we achieve immortality_..." He knew those words. He knew the connection that came with them; a familiar yet unfamiliar warmth blossomed over Jaune as Ren's body ignited with Aura. " _Through this, we become a paragon for virtue and glory to rise above all…_ " With the warmth, Jaune realized his own Aura was alight as Ren's dimmed. He felt a rising pressure all across his body that was quickly equalizing and becoming less. " _Infinite in distance and unbound by death, I pledge unto thee my immortal soul…_ " It was different than what Pyrrha had said to him when she woke his Aura, though not by much he realized. His friend pulled his hand away, now also marked with Jaune's family crest, and struck it across his own chest to rest it in a fist over his heart. The silver-white mark briefly glowed and then settled. "… _and by my shoulder, protect thee_."

The glow of Aura in the room ebbed away. Silence reigned. Ren pulled the hand from his chest to gaze at the silver marking on its back. The look of disbelief on his face was one nobody had ever seen on him before. "Just like the story…"

"Wow Renny, you didn't even hesitate!" Magenta eyes widened as Nora jumped on his back, making him stumble. "How did it feel? Did it feel as good as it did for me?" She goggled some when Ren actually chuckled. He never did that!

"I don't think it would ever feel that good for me, Nora," Ren quipped, a hand at his chin as he looked Jaune over. "Unless Jaune plans on giving me the same treatment he did you."

"Oooooohh! Can I watch if he does?" Now Nora was giving him that same look, like he was a syrup slathered pancake. She bit her lip, a stream of blood leaking from her nose. "That would be so HOT!" And once again, Ren chuckled. He must have really been in a good mood. Between them though, they were both smiling at their leader.

Jaune looked somewhat shocked though, like he was still trying to process the whole thing. "Sorry Nora, but while I do think Ren's attractive, guys don't really do anything for me." He said it absently; he didn't register Nora's disappointed moan or Ren's own whispered 'A pity.' "Ren, what was that just now? Why did it sound like you were pledging yourself to me?"

Both Nora and Ren looked confused now. They looked at each other briefly and then back at Jaune. They had an inkling. Nora moved towards Jaune, while Ren raised his now marked fist. "Jaune…do you know what this means?"

Jaune was beginning to grow frustrated. "All I know is that it's my family crest!" He shook his head, sitting back down on the bed. "I didn't know it was supposed to mean anything else!" His head was in his hands now. "Yang came to me the other night and she had it too! Just like Nora's! She's asked me if I did something to put it there, but I have no idea! And after yesterday, she's pissed at me because she thinks I stole her Semblance on purpose! I didn't even know I had been using it in that fight until Ozpin talked me down!"

Nora laid a hand on his shoulder. "Jauney…"

Ren watched on, pulling his chair back up to sit before his leader. He made sure to keep the new marking visible when he folded his hand in his lap. "I'm sorry Jaune. If I had known you were unaware of what was happening, I might have explained it before I did anything."

"No, it's okay. I'm the one that's sorry." He pulled his hands down his face. "First it was this, and then the armor, so I'm feeling a little…frazzled."

"Armor?" The question escaped before Ren could stop it. Jaune's response was simply the 'tink tink' of fingernail against the metal plate at his chest. "That's armor?"

"It was so AWESOME!" Both of them leaned away as the Noraplosion wouldn't be held back. "Jaune got hit by Cardin's explosion, then he got back up, and he had the armor! It was all silver and gold and shiny! Then he hit Cardin! He broke the pillar! And then he had a sword and shield come out of his arms!" Both Ren and Jaune just watched her excited form before she shifted to a thinking pose to look at Jaune. "Do you think you could make a grenade launcher too?"

Jaune could already see the question forming in his male teammate's eyes, but the blond knight quickly cut it off. "I don't know what happened, or even how it happened, but this," he said, again tapping at the gold and silver plate, "is Crocea Mors." Ren looked even more like he wanted to speak, but his leader held up a hand. "I'll explain what I can, but first Ren, I want to know what you know. You both keep talking about stories. You said they were fairy tales. What do they have to do with me? And what do they have to do with that?" He pointed at Ren's marked hand. He looked between his friends as they shared a look of their own. Then Ren leaned forward.

"Jaune, have you ever heard of the story of Avalon?" Jaune pondered the name for a moment. For some reason, it sounded familiar, but he couldn't place why. He shook his head. "How about King Oberon's Children?"

Now that one did ring a bell. "You mean like stories of The Banshee or the Wish Granting Spider? Sure, but they're just that: stories. They're fairy tales my parents always told me when I was growing up. I mean, sure, they told me plenty of them, but for certain ones they'd always say something like 'another one of Oberon's Children.'" He glanced between the two of them. "I'm not sure what you're getting at though. What do these stories have to do with me and my family?"

Ren was silent for a moment before he spoke up again. "I'm a little surprised you don't know about them, Jaune. For you, I would think you'd call them family history." he said, earning him a confused look. "The stories about Oberon's Children are all about members of the Arc family. At least, that's what our parents used to tell us…" Jaune didn't miss the melancholy look when he glanced Nora's direction, but directed himself back to Ren. It would have to wait. "Most of them are fairly old, some even older than the story of the Seasons. The story of Avalon is the oldest." Now his leader didn't do more than raise a brow.

"Tell me."

Ren let out a quiet sigh. "I'm sorry to say it Jaune, but neither of us really remember the whole thing. It's been years since either of us heard it." He didn't blame his leader for looking a little exasperated. Thankfully though, he wouldn't leave him disappointed. "However, we haven't forgotten the major details. Back before the Grimm, Avalon was a Kingdom that ruled over an entire continent; it rose up almost overnight. The man who ruled was known as King Oberon, with his wife, Queen Titania." Ren held up a hand, his Aura briefly becoming visible. "He is supposedly the progenitor to Aura; the people that swore allegiance to him would gain incredible powers."

"Semblances." It was a whisper from Jaune's lips. Ren nodded in turn.

"Yes." The ninja lifted his marked hand. "This symbol appeared on anyone who gave his oath, the same oath I gave you, swearing themselves to him. In return for their swearing, they gained Aura and their Semblances. Considering that the same oath is to be used to awaken another's Aura normally, I'm not sure how it was accomplished. Regardless, the marking became known as Oberon's personal crest; he was addressed as Oberon of the Arc. Anyone who bore it was either family, or in service to him." Ren's hand fell back into his lap. "As time passed, and the number of followers grew, Oberon grew in power as well. It's said that he was so powerful that a wave of his hand could change the landscape and cause tidal waves." Jaune felt his jaw drop and then click shut.

"The kingdom of Avalon did not last though," Ren continued, his leader twitching. "As quickly as it rose, so too did the kingdom fall. It disappeared, Oberon and Titania going with it, leaving their subjects behind. Supposedly, when Avalon disappeared, it marked the appearance of the Creatures of Grimm." Ren wrung his hands, watching the knight. "Supposedly, the tales of Oberon Children are just that: tales of his descendants. That's all we really remember."

Jaune leaned back on the bed, trying to process what he was hearing. Oberon sounded less like a man, and more like a god. He gained power as he did followers. That certainly sounded like what happened with Yang. Yang didn't swear the oath though. Was there more to it than that? He dragged his fingers across his heart and the golden arcs resting there.

"Did you know about this when you met me?"

"We weren't sure." Jaune was surprised to hear such a saddened tone from Nora. He looked to her. "We thought it was a coincidence. When we found out your last name was actually Arc, we weren't sure what to think; we had always been told that Arcs were supposed to be really strong and could do things that normal Huntsman and Huntresses couldn't do. You were a great guy, but we were a little disappointed." The redhead seemed to become even more melancholy, making Jaune become further concerned despite his disbelief of what he was hearing.

"Daddy used to tell me about Avalon and Oberon's Children all the time. He said that he was actually named after one of Oberon's Children." Jaune was sure that he'd never seen Nora actually tear up before. He reached out to wipe them away, Ren staring at the ground. "He even said he knew an Arc, that I'd met him before..." She looked up to her leader, tears flowing faster. "I don't remember much, but I think I saw him once. He was like a human Grimm. He was looking for me. He killed the Jormungandr that was going to eat me…" She was shaking, trying to look away from Jaune. "And the giant Alpha Beowulf that ate daddy…"

The lightning berserker found herself pressed against Jaune's chest. Her words stopped when she felt his arms wrap her up, but the tears did not. She felt a hand pet her hair and realized her arms were wrapped tight around her leader. "I'm sorry…" His words reached her ears and she rubbed her tears on him. "Oh Oum, Nora, I'm sorry…" She shook her head again, wetting his skin further. He did not let go of her.

Jaune could not feel any lower if he tried. He'd just wanted to find out what was happening to him; he didn't mean to drudge up bad memories. He kept a weeping Nora wrapped in his arms, but looked to his team brother, the martial artist's hand over his own eyes. "Ren… I…"

"It's okay Jaune. You didn't know." His friend lifted his head, looking him in the eye; he did not comment on the moisture in the corner of Ren's eye. "He's been gone for a long time…Both of our parents have."

Jaune was floored by this news, his grip tightening on Nora. "But… You said that you needed to go home for family issues…"

"Our immediate families are gone, Jaune. My family met their end trying to establish a colony outside of Mistral." Jaune knew he'd never seen Ren angry or bitter before. Seeing him as both was concerning. "Grimm took our parents from both of us." His expression calmed as he watched his childhood friend seek comfort in his leader's arms. "As it turns out though, Nora has a rather… 'extended' family, of which she is the rightful heiress."

Heiress? Nora was an heiress? Like Weiss? He looked down when Nora perked up, eyes still teary though they were wider. "Renny… What…?"

"We've been together for so long, Nora, and we've been through so much together." He looked mighty pleased with himself. "After you told me what happened to your family, I wanted to see if any of your relatives might have made it out alive." The growing hope in Nora's eyes seemed to matched the satisfaction in Ren's own. The tears she shed were quickly turning happy. "I wanted it to be a surprise, but…"

Any further words he was to give was cut off when Nora again leaped at him. Like a gazelle to a lion, Ren was slammed to the ground. He didn't really mind though. The happiness on Nora's face was certainly worth it. "Oh Renny! You found them! I can't believe you found them!" She pulled him up, swinging him around in a bear hug as she giggled. "Who was it?! Who did you find?! And where?! Where have they been all this time?! I mean, a mob family can only hide in so many places!"

Jaune almost faltered at that. A mob family? Nora was a mob princess. Then again… He glanced away in thought. It wasn't like his own family was inscrutable…

"It's because they aren't hiding in the Kingdoms," Ren said, smoothing the wrinkles in his shirt. "At least, not all of them anyway. I did find someone in Mistral though." Nora's eyes went wide with stars. "Your uncle, Loki Valkyrie." The stars slowly dimmed, and her mile smile gave way some. It was impossible for Ren to miss, while his leader blinked unnoticed; he knew the name 'Loki,' but for the love of Oum, he couldn't remember from where. "Nora?"

"It's… Ren, I appreciate this so much. You have no idea how much this really means to me." He was fairly certain that he had a pretty good idea, but he'd let her speak. "It's just…" She glanced to the side. "My uncle Loki and I never really liked each other much. He always seemed like such a big meanie…"

"I met with him." Nora looked surprised. "Apparently, he's running the Jotunn family in Mistral now. It wasn't an easy thing to do, but I managed it. When I told him that I knew his niece, he was shocked." Ren smiled. "He thought I was lying at first; he nearly slit my throat." Nora briefly looked incensed, but it did not stop Ren's words. "After I told him more, he believed me. He told me he thought you were dead. He'd said he'd been trying to find you for a very long time."

Ren wrung his hands, glancing away. "He also said that there was more of your family alive out there. He'd said he found a majority of them outside the Kingdoms. Most of them have joined a group of bandits to survive. He mentioned a few names, including Tyr, Skadi, Baldur and Sif."

"Baldur!" Nora was elated once again. "He found cousin Sif too?!" Happy tears were beginning to show themselves. It was even more than she could have ever hoped for.

"Indeed. He has apparently been into contact with them. He told them he'd been searching for you." Ren glanced away again, looking perturbed. "Unfortunately, that's where things get difficult." Nora's smile once again became less vibrant. "He said that he asked them if you returned, would they welcome you back as head of the family." Nora perked up some, meeting Ren's gaze. "He also said they refused."

"All of them?" Nora piped up, tears beginning to dry. "Even Sif?"

"He told me that they said they didn't believe him. They think he's lying to them, since they always knew him as a trickster. They want even less to do with him because he's in charge of the Jotunn clan now. If he wasn't in charge of the Jotunn, it might not be an issue, but even then…" Ren trailed off, again ringing his hands. "He also told me that many of them don't think you're fit to take your father's place." Jaune looked back to Nora as she began to growl. He was beginning to wonder how he didn't have whiplash, the emotions around here were changing so damn much. She was up and stomp-pacing before he knew it.

"You mean they don't want a girl leading them, isn't that right Renny?"

"Now Nora, I'm sure that not the case." And once again, confusion for Jaune, and another of the yellow nuggets from Nora's abandoned bag. Earthy, then a crunch, and another shock to the system. Mm, lemon.

"Of course, it's the case Renny! Of course, that's what it means!" The tears were back again, along with a healthy dose of frustration. "I remember what Tyr was like! I may have been small, but he never made it a secret that he was a sexist prick!" Both of the boys were surprised by that one; it was the closest to swearing they'd ever heard from her. "But that's not all of it, oh no! Skadi never liked me either! They don't think I'm good enough to live up to my daddy's name!" She stopped and threw up her arms. Interesting things happened that caught the brief attention of both boys. "After all, how could a 'little girl' live up to the great and powerful Odin!?"

"Odin...?" Both of the childhood lovers turned to Jaune's voice. "You don't mean... 'Big Daddy' Odin, do you?" They also both perked up at his words.

"Jauney, you know my daddy?"

"Jaune, how do you know that name?"

"I... my parents knew him. I think I met him, once." He met both of their eyes. "He was the leader of the Asgardian mob family." A nod from both of them, yet he continued on. "They said...they said he and his family had been killed by Grimm." He turned his full attention to Nora. "Nora." She perked. "You said you saw an Arc before." A nod. "Really big? Blue armor?" More nodding, excitement bleeding through. "A sword as big as he was?"

The excitement wouldn't contain itself any more. "Yes! Yes, that's the one! That's the one that saved me!" Then she was right in his face again. "Do you know him Jauney? Why's he so big and scary? Do you think we could meet him?! What can-!" The lip lock that silenced her came with a tiny noise of surprise, and then a moan of approval. Strong, tiny arms wrapped themselves around Jaune's neck, while she ground herself against the front of his body. Jaune's hands found their way to Nora's behind, gentle moans leaking through a tongue filled kiss as each cheek was massaged. The kiss was broken, and the Valkyrie could only let out a sigh. "Oh god, that was good."

"You know," Ren spoke up, smirking and raising an eyebrow, "I'm not usually the jealous type, but perhaps I should be concerned that my girlfriend basically melted when you kissed her?"

"Renny, he tastes like pancakes and syrup…"

"I'm sorry, but she was starting to babble, and I thought it would work." Jaune couldn't help the grin that came. He looked back to Nora. "Nora, in the order you asked, yes, I don't know, and I don't see why not." He scratched the back of his head. "The guy you're talking about is actually my dad." Both teammates perked up at that.

"Your father?"

"Yeah. I mean, I don't know about the humanoid Grimm thing, but yeah, that's him. If it's his Semblance, it might explain his nickname though." He frowned, looking between his friends. "My mom has lots of connections across Remnant. She knew a mob boss in Mistral once named Odin, with the title of 'Big Daddy.'" He smiled, remembering a huge, one-eyed man with a spear. "He and my dad got along great. The used to drink themselves silly and drive my mother up the walls." He turned his attention again to Nora. "They had been on their way to see him and his family when they came on the Grimm attack." His look softened at Nora's teary gaze. "He thought they had all been killed." Nora hugged Jaune tight, burying her face in his chest. He felt a warm trickling.

"Jaune." He met determined questioning magenta as his teammate spoke. "Is your family still in contact with anyone from Nora's…?"

"I think so… My parents do know of a bandit tribe they have some dealings with in Anima's countryside, when they have to. My parents don't really like the one who leads them though." Jaune took a second to stop and think about it. "Then again, I'm fairly certain she's afraid of them too."

"She?" Once again, Nora perked up. "But I thought-!"

"I never said that your relatives wouldn't accept a woman as their leader, Nora," Ren pointed out. "I only said that they felt you weren't fit to take your father's place." He shook his head. "The person in charge of the tribe your family is with is a woman, and she is very powerful." He looked to his childhood girlfriend. "That's why they don't want to take you back Nora. They don't think you're strong, and as far as they and the rest of that tribe are concerned, if you aren't strong, then you aren't welcome."

Nora opened her mouth to say something, but nothing was given or came. That Ren had found people who knew her was wonderful. That she still had 'family' after what had happened… It was a grand surprise; she hadn't suspected a thing! To hear that they didn't want her though. It was beyond devastation… Both Nora and Ren found themselves with their heads toward the floor.

"Then you don't need them." Both of their heads shot up, their eyes trained on their leader. His eyes were sparkling emerald, an angry snarl in place. His hand found its way to the crest on Nora's stomach. She gave a shudder when it glowed under his fingers, a warmth spreading through her. Ren felt his own hand warm, a tingling that spread through his arm and into his chest, but he did not look away from his leader. "You said the only ones who had this mark are either family or servants, right?" He laid a hand on Nora head, gently rubbing her hair. He smiled at her as she blinked. "You have people I know would like to know you're still with us." His smile turned to a grin. "As far as I'm concerned, you are part of my family."

There were no words. At least, nothing that could express just how Nora was feeling at Jaune's declaration. She decided she would show him instead. Jaune was sure he felt his neck pop a bit when the lightning queen trapped him in her arms. Lips as fluffy as the pancakes she loved so much were once again sealed against his own, and she refused to skimp on the tongue involved. He encircled her in his grip and fell back against the bed. When Nora finally allowed the knight to come back up for air, she was straddling his waist. "Jauney…I don't know what to say…"

Jaune couldn't help the chuckle. "I'm pretty sure you said plenty just now." He glanced at the smirking male next to him. "What I said goes for you too, Ren."

The resident ninja bowed his head. "I appreciate the gesture, Jaune." The smirk refused to leave his face. "You'll have to introduce us to your family someday."

"Considering that my mom operates in Vale, I think I can swing that pretty easily." He popped another rocky, yellow chunk of into his mouth. Another crunch, another jolt, and more citrus for his taste buds. "I'll have to take you for a visit." He turned between the two of them, his smile dropping when he noticed the two of them just staring at him. "Something wrong?"

"Jaune…How many of those nuggets have you eaten?" Jaune blinked at Ren's question, having already grabbed another piece from the bag.

"Four or five. Why? I'm sorry if I ate more than I was should have; I can buy you another bag."

Once again, both of his friends blinked. Ren spoke up. "I'm just surprised you _could_ eat so many of them."

"Why couldn't I?" A raised eyebrow. "It's just candy." A giggle from Nora, even as Ren shook his head.

"Jauney, that stuff is refined Lightning Dust!" Another giggle when Jaune's jaw went slack. He'd had another piece risen to his lips for consumption.

"It's true. When Nora needs to give her grenades an extra kick, she grinds up one of those nuggets and adds it to the mix." He snatched the remainder of the bag away from Jaune. "Each one has enough power to light up several city blocks, at least for a few minutes. Three of them have about as much power as a bolt of lightning."

Despite his wonderful position beneath a nude Nora, Jaune still managed a high pitched, nervous laugh as he looked at the gem in his hand. "A b-bolt of lightning? Really?" More laughter now, as he turned to Nora. "Nora, why did you feed me Lightning Dust?"

"Well, I had to prove to Renny that you have my Semblance somehow!" The way she said it, it was like it was the most obvious thing in the world. The she sent took on a ponderous look. "Then again, I could have used one of my lightning grenades on you..."

"No, no, I'm fine with you just giving me Dust crystals," he said quickly, only to look to the side and mumble, "Either one should kill me just fine..." And once again, Nora was giggling. She reached forward, pressing at his cheeks.

"Oh Jauney, you're so funny! I told you that you have my Semblance now; lightning couldn't hurt you now, even if you tried!"

"I can attest to what she's saying," Ren quipped helpfully, "I've watched her get struck by lightning, and then use the power-boost she gets from it to slaughter a herd of Ursa." He smirked. "If I'm honest, it's sometimes a little terrifying."

"Aww, thanks Renny!"

Jaune blinked, looked at the Dust nugget, and then shrugged before he popped it in his mouth and crunched it down. Maybe it was stimulating his sour taste-buds, because despite the now literal shock to his system, he was still tasting lemon. He looked back to the Valkyrie on top of him. "Then I have one last question." Nora quirked a brow. "You seemed pretty certain that I have your Semblance. Exactly how did you know I was going to have it in the first place?"

"Oh Jauney, that was obvious!" He was about to ask how it was obvious, but she cut him off very quickly. "You have Yang's Semblance after you had sex with her, so since you slept with me, you've must have gotten mine too!" She pointed to the mark on her stomach and giggled. "We've got the mark in the same place and everything!"

Well, this was news for Ren. "You slept with Yang?"

Jaune found himself just staring at Nora. "Nora… How do you know that?" The giggling was getting incessant. Nora gave her cheek a scratch.

"I…might have heard the two of you in the shower the other night." She leaned in, winking and whispering conspiratorially, "While I do approve, fearless leader, you two weren't exactly discreet. I actually kept a few people away for you two; it sounded like you were having lots of fun."

Well, okay then. That's what Jaune got for being careless. It was a student washroom after all, so he should have considered that someone would come walking through. If anything, he should count himself lucky that it was Nora that found him, rather than another student, or a teacher. He didn't imagine that they might be lenient if they caught something like that going on outside of the actual dorm rooms. That he hadn't considered such a thing at the time brought an embarrassed flush to his face. The huge grin on Nora's face was enough to make him scowl through the embarrassment though.

"You know Nora, I'm not sure if I should be thanking you right now…" Nora straightened and let out a surprised 'eep' just as the sound of flesh smacking reached all of their ears. Nora felt the sting of Jaune's hand on her ass, and a tingle of excitement in her loins. "…or punishing you."

Nora let out a quiet groan as she gave Jaune a pleasured smirk. She ground her hips down against Jaune's body. Jaune was idly aware of the moisture he felt between them. "Hmm, can't it be both?"

"Hmm, possibly…"

A chuckle from Ren interrupted them. "I do believe that's my signal to make myself scarce." He was up, and his chair back in place at the desk. He gave them another smirk. "You two have your fun. I'm going for breakfast."

"Aww, you don't have to go Renny!" Nora spoke, though she did nothing to stop herself grinding against Jaune's hips. "You can stay and watch, if you like." Ren blinked only once before he glanced at his team leader under his girlfriend.

Jaune only shrugged. "Believe it or not, it wouldn't be a first for me."

Ren let out another chuckle, also shrugging in response. "Perhaps next time." The fact that he said 'next time' wasn't lost on either them, even as Nora sealed her lips to Jaune's own. Ren briefly stopped at the door, glancing back at the two of them. He noticed Jaune's hands latch onto Nora's behind, squeeze, and pull her to him. And then he got a view of the sword his leader wielded. The door clicked quietly shut behind him. He directed himself toward the cafeteria, a hand at his chin and a smirk at his lips.

"It is certainly a pity…"

* * *

A/N: First off, to anyone that thought the way Nora came on to Jaune was unrealistic, I'm gonna shed some experience on you. I was in a relationship with a poly girl once, and she had also been happily attached to a friend when she approached me. Save for the fact that we were actually dressed, and that the actual outcome did not immediately lead to sex, I was approached the exact same way that Jaune was by Nora. Don't believe it? Oh well.

Now, I'm sure a few of you probably are wondering what I have planned for Crocea Mors. You'll have to wait and find out on that. The idea is a bit of a cross between several previously used ones from many series. If you can figure out what they are, and what they'll essentially combine into, then huzzah, look at the big brain on you. I may confirm it if asked, but I make no guarantees. :P

Yes, I'm also taking liberties with Ren and Nora's relationship. This is AU, people. You don't have to read it if you don't like it. Either way, when they say they aren't together-together, that can be open to interpretation. Considering that nobody ever bothers to ask what that means, then what reason do Ren or Nora have to correct anyone of their... misconceptions.

And one last item. This is not a crossover fic, but given many characters that are going to show up, it might as well be. A lot of them will be cameos, while others will have larger roles down the line. Jaune's immediate and extended family will be a prime example of this. Most will have some changes to their names, and they will have possible changes to their abilities to adapt them to the RWBY universe, but it will be pretty obvious who they are by titles, nicknames, and descriptions. We start this little cavalcade of characters next time, when we start meeting Jaune's family.

And with that, I'm off. Have to start getting all of these plans set into motion. A proper outline will be needed. Hope you all enjoyed it. See ya Space Cowboys! Bye for now! SnK.

P.S. By the way, if you've already figured out who Jaune's dad is... well, it should be obvious, no?


End file.
